


Take Pride in Your Humanity

by The_Gallifreyan_Wordsmith



Category: Full - Fandom, Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 13:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 60,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13548009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Gallifreyan_Wordsmith/pseuds/The_Gallifreyan_Wordsmith
Summary: Fourteen years after the Promised Day and life in Amestris couldn't be more peaceful. The defeat of the homunculi ushered in a new era of prosperity and the war heroes from that day have finally been able to lead regular lives. Of course, this prosperity also led to complacency, and the last lurking threat was forgotten. After all, Selim Bradley doesn't seem very dangerous.**Reposted from Fanfiction.net for fun**This is my work.





	1. Prologue

Prologue: Almost Human

* * *

Mrs. Bradley knew that her son wasn't human.

When he was younger, the differences weren't so noticeable. Occasionally, he would show a rare maturity for his age or do something that she just wouldn't expect.

That was a granted though, after all, how human could an inhuman child act?

* * *

"Happy Birthday!" Mrs. Bradley exclaimed as she approached the table slowly, holding a heavy cake.

Selim smiled, his sixth birthday was a huge event for him and it was his first official birthday party. His two friends from school, Elysia and William, had come to help him celebrate and were seated on either side of him wearing neon party hats.

The guards in the far corner of the room went unnoticed as they watched Mrs. Bradley struggle under the cake.

Mrs. Bradley was not as young as she used to be, and that heavy cake was unlikely to make it to the table in one piece. She might have though, if it wasn't for the broken tile sticking up on the floor in their new house's kitchen. It was a far cry from the flawless kitchen of the Fuehrer's mansion, and it also happened to be the reason why she tripped.

Mrs. Bradley lurched forward, the cake flying through the air and landing right on Selim.

The boy, ignoring his friends' cries of horror, frowned and commented, "Well, that's a shame."

Mrs. Bradley was already apologizing profusely as she climbed back to her feet, expecting her son to be in tears along with the rest of his friends.

She wasn't quite sure how to react when the boy was simply wiping frosting off of his face with a napkin.

Completely ignorant of the tears welling up in William's eyes, Selim stood up and frowned again as more cake fell onto the floor. "I'm going to go clean myself up, this is unsightly. I'll come back and help clean up in a second."

Mrs. Bradley stared at her son in surprise as he carefully walked out to clean himself up.

As she began to console Selim's tearful friends, she couldn't help but wonder about her son's true age.

* * *

After the fiasco on his sixth birthday, the little things that made him different began to stand out more to her. Selim's vocabulary was so advanced; Mrs. Bradley would often find herself reading a dictionary in an attempt to expand her own vocabulary. Then, there was the issue with his eyes...

* * *

A shuffling noise in the hallway woke her up, and the aging mother slowly pulled herself out of bed with a sigh.

A bang resounded down the hall and Mrs. Bradley's reservations disappeared as she quickly drew her robe around her and grabbed a flashlight. A flash of fear shot through her for her now ten-year-old son sleeping soundly in his room.

She rushed out into the hall, shining the light to her left and then to her right.

She screamed and dropped the flashlight at the sight of two eyes glowing eerily in the light.

A scoff echoed through the hall, "Pathetic."

There was a rustle of fabric and Selim coughed raggedly, "Mother?"

Selim raced forward and hugged her, "Are you okay? Did something scare you? Are you hurt?"

His mother stared at him in horror for a few seconds before relaxing in his grip and releasing a sob of relief. "I heard a noise and I was worried..."

Selim's mauve eyes flickered across her face, reading her expression thoughtfully. "I had a nightmare..." He explained, almost sounding embarrassed. "I was just getting a glass of water."

Mrs. Bradley nodded, allowing her son to lead her back to her room. Her mind refusing to even consider the other inhuman attributes that her son may possess.

It didn't even occur to her that during the whole encounter, the Selim's ever-present guards never appeared.

* * *

It wasn't until her son was fourteen though that she truly grasped the fact that her son wasn't human.

She had always known from the day that Edward Elric handed her the remnants of son that he wasn't normal. That he was just a pawn in the hands of the forces that had killed her husband.

Deep down though, she had never truly accepted the difference.

* * *

The guards were on break that day, the Fuehrer had decided that they could begin to cut down surveillance in exchange for Selim's continuing "good behavior." Later on, Mrs. Bradley wished that they hadn't been.

The sun was slowly setting as Mrs. Bradley and Selim rushed through the empty streets of Central's shopping district. They had to get home before it got too dark, Selim needed to get his sleep for the first day of school tomorrow.

Her son was carrying tons of bags full of everything from new school uniforms to books on alchemy. The mountain of bags completely blocked his view as he staggered down the street.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry anything, dear?"

"I told you I got it, mother!" Selim responded, sounding wounded that his mother would even consider that he was unable of accomplishing such a menial task.

Mrs. Bradley frowned but knew that arguing with the young man was pointless. His pride simply wouldn't allow for him to give in.

"I wonder why the streets are so empty..." She mused, changing the topic.

"Are we going to right direction to go home?"

"Of course we are!" She exclaimed before frowning as she glanced around, "I think so anyways..." She wrung her hands worriedly as she observed the devoid road.

"Did we miss the turn again?" Selim groaned in annoyance.

The sun was almost completely down now, and the kerosene street lamps were slowly coming to life.

"At least there's still light." Selim commented in an attempt to lighten the mood, he had always felt most comfortable in the light. As long as there was a source of light, he was safe.

When his mother remained silent, Selim leaned out from behind the mountain of bags in an attempt to see her. "Mother?"

A cold feeling washed over him as he saw a man, face obscured by shadow, holding his mother at gunpoint.

The bags clattered to the floor as Selim felt a vicious rage well up inside of him. He crossed his arms casually, completely surprising his mother; he acted as if had to whole situation under control.

"I suggest that you leave now, sir." Selim said coldly, like he was viewing an ant that had the gall to bite him.

The man faltered at the unusual response, then scoffed, "What are you gonna do, sonny? Cry for help?"

Selim's smirk turned to a disappointed frown, "Why must we do this? It'd be so much easier if you just let her go."

The man jabbed his gun into Mrs. Bradley's temple, "How about you just hand over all of your money and valuables, eh?"

As his mother's eyes widened in terror, Selim felt his temper snap.

"You will release her unharmed right now." His voice was wrong, it was like a chorus speaking in disjointed unison.

(He didn't even sound human.)

Unbeknownst to him, the shadows swirled around his feet weakly. Some even rising slightly like a bubbling pool of pitch.

The mugger's eyes widened, "You're- you should be dead!"

Indignation rose up inside of him at the exclamation. "I'm not easy to kill." His voice still wasn't right. "Now, why don't you release my mother and I'll let you live."

(He shouldn't be showing this insect mercy. He should just devour them both. No, he couldn't kill Mother...)

Selim grabbed his head in pain, memories beginning to rise to the forefront of his mind.

"What's wrong, homunculus?" The man roared, "Can't kill two little humans?"

Selim's hands dropped to his side and he yelled in fury, "Shut up! Shut up, you insect!"

(Why was he saying that? Why was his mother looking at him that way?)

The shadows around his feet surged forward and a bead of sweat rolled down his face from the effort.

The man stumbled backwards and screamed, leaving the gun forgotten on the ground as he raced away.

"Can't let him..." Selim's voice was back to normal again, the shadows retreating. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Mrs. Bradley cautiously approached him, kneeling down beside him. She sighed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes with a sigh, "What does homunculus mean? And what exactly just happened?"

Her son remained silent as he slept on, never once remembering the events of that night.

* * *

Mrs. Bradley knew beyond a doubt that her son wasn't human. She knew that she had only scratched the surface of the mysteries her son was harboring. She did know one thing however - Selim, whether he was human or not, was her son - and she loved him as unconditionally as only a mother could.

 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Elysia! Slow down!"

"We won't miss the bus!"

The girl spun on her heel, running backwards and she viewed her two friends gasping for breath. "It leaves in ten minutes!"

"What?"

"Didn't you get the notice?" She giggled, "The bus is coming ten minutes earlier today!"

The clouds overhead rumbled, electing a squeal from the shorter boy. "Come on, guys! If we don't hurry, we'll be stuck out in the rain!"

"Selim, hurry up!"

The tall boy groaned and brushed his long bangs out of his eyes, conscious of the birthmark on his forehead. "Can't we just walk? I'm hungry."

"If you don't hurry, your hair is going to get wet from the rain!" Elysia pointed out, a wicked grin crossing her features.

Selim's eyes widened, "I'll meet you guys at the bus stop!"

He took off in a fast sprint, his long legs easily carrying him with the grace of a seasoned runner even though the boy had little athletic involvements.

"He's just showing off now..." William groaned, adjusting his glasses with a heavy sigh.

Elysia smirked, "Oh yeah? Well, let's beat him there!"

"What? How?"

Elysia grinned, "We'll just take the shortcut."

"You know how he gets when he loses something..." William mumbled, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Even better! We can knock him off his high horse for a little bit." Elysia was already racing towards the empty field off to the side of the road.

"Selim's going to be mad..." William mumbled as he slowly followed the girl in front of him through the shortcut.

* * *

Selim's breath came out in steady huffs as his feet beat an even pattern against the pavement. The damp air clung to his shirt and hair, causing his long bangs to fall in his face yet again. He reached up, pushing his bangs away. He was almost there...

"Hey, slowpoke!"

Selim skidded to a stop as he noticed his two friends waiting for him.

Elysia had a mischievous grin on her face, her arms wrapped around her lean frame and thin, brown hair pulled back in a single ponytail. Her emerald green eyes were glittering with mirth at his expense.

William was looking at the ground, his mousy gaze avoiding Selim's eyes at all costs. The large glasses on his face enlarged his blue eyes dramatically. He ruffled his blond hair worriedly, shuffling his feet to position Elysia between himself and Selim.

Out of the three, Selim was the tallest, closely followed by Elysia, and poor William didn't even reach Selim's shoulders.

"How'd you get here so quickly?" Selim asked, "Did you cut through that field?"

Elysia huffed, "I'm offended, can we not just beat you here without cheating?"

Selim frowned, "No..." Elysia stomped on his foot and he quickly changed tunes, "Yes?"

"Is that a question?"

"Yes."

"Shut up!" She slapped his arm with a chuckle.

"Really though, you know what they say about that field?" Selim smirked at William and raised his arms in a mock impression of a monster. "There's an old monster that haunts those grounds..."

"There's a monster in there!" William squeaked, ducking behind Elysia even more.

Selim grinned, "Huge, terrifying chimeras!" He raised his hands higher, arching his fingers like claws. "And... And..." His grin stretched even wider, a new idea coming to him. "Huge beasts made of shadow!"

William squeaked again, completely behind Elysia now. "You know I don't like scary stories!"

Selim laughed, trying to speak without dissolving into a full fit of laughter. "With huge razor sharp teeth and glowing red eyes!"

"Shadows with eyes?" Elysia scoffed, "Come on now, Selim. I think the one about the man who lost his vision because the shadows made him commit human transmutation was scarier."

Selim frowned, "I thought my best one was the lion-man..."

"Only you would find a lion scary, Selim."

"But it was in the dark! Lions are nocturnal predators! They could be everywhere and you wouldn't even know!"

Even William laughed a little at that, "Now who's the scaredy-cat?" He taunted lightly.

"I am not scared! I'm... cautious!"

"Sure, Selim... You're very cautious!" Elysia laughed, spotting the bus as it approached them from the distance.

"Are you insulting me?"

"No... But when we see the lions at the zoo, do you need me to hold your hand?"

* * *

Fuehrer Mustang glanced up from his paperwork at the sound of his office door opening. He grinned widely at the woman who entered.

"General Hawkeye! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

The woman quickly stood at attention, a slight grin crossing her face. "Sir, I have escorted Mrs. Bradley here to see you as you requested."

Mustang nodded, "At ease. Thank you, Hawkeye."

The general nodded in confirmation and stepped out of the door, sending in the other woman behind her.

Mrs. Bradley cautiously walked in, holding her purse nervously to her chest. "Fuehrer Mustang... You asked to see me?"

Mustang grinned casually, gesturing to a seat in front of his desk. "Come in! Don't act so nervous, it's been how many years?"

"Fourteen, sir."

"Has it really been fourteen?" He chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not good at keeping dates straight, that's Hawkeye's job."

Mrs. Bradley shifted and scowled, "With all due respect, you didn't call me in for a social meeting, sir. Is something wrong?"

Mustang sighed and slouched into his chair, "I suppose trying to have any formalities by now is pointless... I just called you in to ask how Selim is doing."

It was the dreaded question. Once every six months, the Fuehrer requested a personal audience with her to make sure her son hadn't turned into a murderous rampaging monster.

Last meeting, she had informed him of how Selim had a colony of cats that he was hiding from her, smuggling food outside of their house every night so he could feed them all.

The one before that, it was how he was still getting top marks in his classes and recently went on a trip to the theaters to see a horror movie with his friends.

Today, it was almost the same as the meeting from a year ago. "Selim is at the zoo right now with Elysia and William." Was it her imagination or did the Fuehrer grimace at the mention of Selim being around Elysia? "He's not doing so well in history right now, he keeps going on about how someone must've altered his history book because he read another one that had a different version of the facts and he refuses to believe the new ones."

Mustang frowned, jotting down a quick note of some residual memories, nothing extreme though from the sound of it.

Mrs. Bradley hummed as she thought carefully on the topic. "His little magpie, Kage, is doing well. That bird is so troublesome! I found all of my rings behind the couch the other day where the little beast had been hiding them! It's the most obnoxious little creature that I've ever met!" Mrs. Bradley huffed, "Selim loves that bird though, I can't bear to make him send it away."

Mustang nodded, remembering how Grumman, the previous Fuehrer told him the story of how Selim had found the small black and white bird when he was only two. His mother helped him nurse it back to health and the bird took a liking to him, much to his mother's dismay. The two were almost inseparable, the bird was always on his shoulder when he was at home and was known to follow him around on occasion.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know, sir?"

Mustang shook his head slowly, glancing over the clean sheets showing his notes - or lack thereof - from the previous sessions. It was almost too perfect.

Maybe he was just letting his emotions get in the way, he thought as he showed Mrs. Bradley out and bid her farewell.

After all, he had a valid reason to be worried. Elysia was like a daughter to him - how would you feel if your daughter was best friends with a monster?

* * *

Kage twittered relentlessly in Selim's ear as he attempted to complete the third worksheet from school on some pointless history topic.

The rather large bird, almost of size of a small cat, had an incredibly loud whistle.

"Kage! Go find some of Mother's jewelry to hoard! I'm busy!"

The bird hopped and shook its head, twittering at him with a renewed fervor.

Magpies were supposed to be smart birds, but Selim was beginning to doubt that.

The bird flapped down to the desk, blocking his line of sight to the paper.

Selim groaned, "Fine, what do you want?"

The bird puffed its chest out in pride at accomplishing its task and flapped to the door.

Selim frowned as he stood up and walked slowly to the door, "What is it?"

A flash of something shiny outside caught his eye through the glass window on the door.

The bird trilled and flew in a small circle, landing carefully on his shoulder as he opened the door.

There was a small package outside the door to his small house. The fist-sized parcel had a small, silvery bow on the cover.

"You and shiny objects, Kage. How'd you even know this was here?"

The bird seemed offended that Selim would even think that he wouldn't spot a shiny object.

"Sorry, you're the one with the bird vision." He amended, rubbing the bird's glossy feathers with a smile.

The package lay forgotten on the table as Selim returned to the worksheet, Kage now examining the package curiously.

He let out a cry of annoyance and threw his pencil onto the floor. "This worksheet is wrong! Amestris wasn't mistakenly formed as a circle!"

(He didn't know how he knew that, but it seemed obvious that it wasn't a coincidence.)

* * *

Two hours later and Selim was becoming more frustrated with the worksheet.

First, it said that Amestris was formed into its circular shape through fortune, not a careful plan from the leader of the country at the time.

Second, it claimed the national blackout from fourteen years ago never happened. That it was just a popular rumor!

And finally, it has the audacity to claim that humans founded Amestris!

Selim's internal rant ground to a halt.

(Wait, why would he be assuming that?)

The shadows around the room seemed to close in on him as flashes of memories - no, nightmares - twirled through his mind.

(Fires raging in a forest.)

(Shadows ripping a man apart.)

(A torrent of souls soaked in blood howling in pain.)

(A human transmutation circle glowing as a man pinned to the center writhed and cried out in terror.)

He pushed himself out of the chair, gripping his head in pain. His knees hit the cool tile floors, the uneven edges biting into his feverish skin like the fangs of the shadows in his mind.

A sharp rap at the door caught his attention, dispelling the storm raging in his mind.

He placed his hands on the floor, breathing rapidly as the haze over his vision cleared.

He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, vaguely wondering where Kage flew off to as he rubbed the sweat from his face.

A quick check in the mirror confirmed that he was presentable as another rap sounded at the door.

"Selim! Open up now!"

Elysia peered through the frosted glass of the door and scowled.

"You know where the key is!" He responded, moving to the couch in an attempt to let his rapid heartbeat settle.

(His voice hadn't shaken when he yelled to her, had it?)

By the time Elysia had opened the door, Selim was halfway through a random book his had just picked up.

"That took you longer than usual," he noted, flipping the page.

"It only took me ten minutes because someone has a paranoid parent that always moves the key!" Elysia huffed, "And I have a lazy friend who can't walk two steps to unlock a door."

"I'm wounded." Selim commented, placing a hand over his heart.

"Oh, shut up."

Selim grinned and tossed the book to the side, "So what's going on?"

Elysia crossed her arms, "Did you know that Uncle Roy is in meeting with your mom?"

Selim frowned, Kage was perched on his shoulder and he absentmindedly rubbed the bird's feathers. "Yes, do you know why they always do that? Every six months, never missing one meeting..."

"What do you think their doing?"

Selim gagged, "What is wrong with your mind?"

Elysia frowned, "I didn't mean it like that!" Her cheeks were turning red.

Selim frowned, "I don't believe you."

Elysia chuckled, "I meant what do they talk about? They can't just sit there in silence..."

The boy frowned thoughtfully, moving Kage to his hand so he could cradle the bird. "They could be discussing me."

"But why?"

"Remember how I used to have guards following me everywhere?"

Elysia nodded, recalling how Selim had always had guards with him until he was fourteen. Roy had decided soon after his birthday that the constant guard presence wasn't necessary.

"Maybe I was in danger from something then and now, Mother and the Fuehrer are discussing the possibility of the threat returning?"

"You sound so sure about that."

Selim shrugged, "How am I supposed to know? She always did like a man in uniform."

Elysia threw the pillow on the couch nearest to her at Selim's head.

He ducked, pulling Kage in closer to his chest, "Watch where you're throwing that! Innocent birds could get harmed."

"So what if someone is out to get you?" Elysia mused, plopping down on the couch next to Selim.

"Was," he corrected.

Elysia shrugged, "So you think, anyways."

The tattered couch creaked as Selim shifted on it, stroking Kage as he frowned in thought. "So if my life is still in danger, who would be threatening me?"

"Wasn't your dad the old Fuehrer?"

Selim released Kage and the bird flapped away with an indignant caw. "So you think one of my father's former enemies could be targeting me?"

Elysia nodded, "But what's the motive?"

"My father foiled their plans with Mustang's help and he died for it, but not all of the senior military officers staging the coup died."

"So revenge?"

"That's the only motive that I can guess."

The living room fell into silence as the two were lost in their own thoughts.

The chipped mantle over the soot-filled fireplace held a picture of the previous Fuehrer and the original Selim, the one that had died before he was born.

Selim propped his feet up on the battered, old coffee table and gazed thoughtfully at the photo. "Mother lost my brother and husband in that coup. Who else would be left to spite if I died? My mother would be the only one important who would truly be affected by it."

Elysia nodded, "Unless you're the same Selim."

He scoffed, "Can't you be serious for a few minutes?"

"I lasted about five."

Selim cracked a weak grin and returned to his musings. "Of course, the man coming after me could very well be disturbed. It could be nothing more than a twisted personal vendetta against the former royal family."

Elysia hummed, "A little dark for you, don't you think?"

"I'm considering every possibility." Selim answered swiftly.

She nodded slowly, "Let's hope it's not that then."

Selim nodded curtly, "So, where's Will?"

"He's at his father's, he couldn't make it."

Selim frowned, "Did his parents get in another fight?"

Elysia sighed, "He's not holding up very well either."

Kage hopped onto Selim's head and settled down comfortably. He crossed his eyes trying to look up at the bird without moving his head too much, "I thought we agreed that my head wasn't a seat."

The bird gave no response as he tucked his head under one wing.

Elysia giggled, "How is it that out of all animals, the only one that can stand you is a bird just about as stubborn and arrogant as you are?"

"Hey!" Selim grumbled, "I'm hurt. You think I'm stubborn?"

"What about arrogant?"

Selim shrugged, "I've been hearing that for years now."

Elysia nodded sagely, "No use in denying the truth."

Selim shrugged as he considered her previous question. "I guess it's because I saved him when he was just a chick. He didn't have much of a choice, but he got a chance to see something in me that the other animals don't."

Elysia nodded, "Remember when you met my cat?"

"I try not to." Selim answered, unconsciously rubbing his leg where the cat had clawed him viciously.

"I wonder why animals hate you so much..."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

The detailed map of Central shook slightly with the hum of machinery as a figure paced in front of it.

The dank room, full of steaming pipes and flicking lights, held a gathering of about twenty people all focused on the man at the map.

He slapped the four locations outlined in red on the map with his pointer . "We'll release the chimeras here, here, here, and here!" He drove the series of declarations home with a final jab more violent than the preceding ones.

A loud crack filled the room as his pointer spilt down the middle, the tip clattering uselessly to the ground. The man ignored his newly shortened pointer as he continued in his speech. "The chimeras know his scent and will target anything with it in the area, and, as long as we time it correctly, the target will be out at the time of action."

"And if he's not?" One figure questioned, "What if we fail?" He looked at the map worriedly.

Another shouted, "We will rule a new Amestris under our true king! We have to make sure nothing will go wrong with this plan."

The figure tossed his broken pointer aside and grinned, his teeth glowing in the dark room. "I assure you, this plan is so simple, it's foolproof."

* * *

"Selim, pass the salt will you?" Mrs. Bradley asked kindly, slowly stirring the soup in front of her.

Selim grabbed the salt and passed it to his mother. He returned to peeling the potatoes, carefully avoiding the sharp edge of the knife.

Elysia flipped a dial on the shining new radio on their table, static ground out through the speakers. "What stations does this one get?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Selim is better with it than I am." Mrs. Bradley responded.

Selim glanced up, mechanically peeling the potato as he frowned. "It should get all the-" He stopped with a yelp, grabbing at his injured finger.

Mrs. Bradley rushed over, "Did you hurt yourself?"

Selim shook his head, hiding the red sparks flashing across the cut on his finger and presenting the now flawless finger to her. "I thought I did, that was scary." He chuckled nervously, ignoring the two women's unconvinced gazes.

Elysia shrugged, spinning the dial on the radio as she searched for a station.

The buzz of static cut through the room as it refined down to comprehensible speech. "Central police report three sightings of large animals in the eastern quarter of Central. We advise residents in that area to remain indoors while the military works to neutralize the threat."

"We're in the eastern quarter." Mrs. Bradley said nervously, kneeling down and reaching into the space under the cabinets.

"Mother, what are you doing?"

Mrs. Bradley's hand closed around the objects she was looking for and she withdrew them from their hiding place. "Your father was never one for guns, but he was just as deadly as Amestris' finest sniper with these."

Two duel blades were in her hands, the sheaths glinting dully as she placed them on the table.

"Mother! What are we going to do with those?" Selim protested. "I can't use swords!"

Mrs. Bradley grinned wickedly, "I never said you needed to use them. King and I used to spar when he had some spare time." She withdrew one of the blades and twirled it expertly, "I may be a little rusty, but I can still put up a fight."

Selim looked at Elysia for help, but his friend was awestruck at his mother's actions.

"Mother! You could get hurt," Selim shifted his feet, preparing himself for his next statement. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." The words almost burned his mouth.

(He wasn't weak! Caring for someone didn't make him weak!)

Mrs. Bradley smiled kindly at her son, "You don't need to worry about me."

The radio static cut through again, refining to speech. "Additional reports have come in and the military has confirmed that there are four of these creatures loose in the east Central area. Three deaths have already been attributed to these creatures and the military is working rapidly to neutralize this threat. Once again, we advise that..."

Elysia frowned, "Why is the military working on this? I could see the animal control or even the police, but why the military?"

Kage cawed in fear, flapping his wings rapidly. His perch rattled and shook from his rapid movements.

Selim stood up and consoled the bird, rubbing his back soothingly and whispering to him.

Kage still cawed and ruffled his feathers, refusing to settle down.

Mrs. Bradley frowned, "What has gotten into that bird?"

A low whine came from the front door.

Elysia looked at the door warily, "Please tell me that was just the wind."

"That was the wind..." Selim responded, peering out the glass window in the door.

Nothing was there; he looked out one more time, squinting his eyes at what looked like a dark shape...

A gleaming yellow eye blinked into existence and gazed back at him, its breath fogging the glass as it snarled at him.

Selim yelped and stumbled away, falling flat onto his back.

The door hinges buckled as the beast smashed into it.

Elysia had her hand over her mouth, a scream barely stifled in her throat.

Mrs. Bradley's face was creased in a frown as she quickly drew one of her husband's swords.

Selim was on his feet, still backing away with his face contorted in anger. "I shouldn't have to run from this." He growled, approaching the area where Elysia was standing in shock. "Pathetic chimera." He didn't even seem to be aware of his mumblings. He looked at his mother as she advanced towards the door, holding her sword. "She'll get hurt, she could die. She's only human..."

"Selim!" Elysia exclaimed in shock, "What are you talking about?"

Selim's purple eyes were unfocused as he shook his head, "I don't know... I just-"

He grabbed his head in pain, "I can't remember!" He screamed in fury as the door splintered and the monster entered.

The shadows seemed to stretch and contort around the creature as it entered. Its claws clacking noisily against the tiles as its three heads surveying the room with three sets of sickly yellow eyes. Its body resembled a lion, with permanently unsheathed claws and the tail of a scorpion. The goat head bleated rather pathetically as it spotted them, but when the reptilian and lion heads roared in unison, Elysia finally released the scream that she had been holding in.

Selim's clouded eyes cleared slightly as he pushed Elysia behind him, "Mother! Get back."

Mrs. Bradley turned, leaving her back open to the beast as it charged at her.

Selim roared as he ran towards the chimera, pushing his mother to the side, "You forget your place, beast!"

The chimera skidded to a halt as it viewed the man standing before it.

The room fell silent aside from Kage's panicked caws.

The goat head bleated, "You..."

Selim scoffed, "Since when could a basic chimera such as yourself speak?"

The lion head rumbled, "You..." The reptilian head hissed, "Are..."

Selim narrowed his eyes and waved a hand impatiently, "Out with it now."

Mrs. Bradley surveyed her son's attitude with worry, the Fuehrer's  
warnings echoing in her head. The arrogant man currently staring down a chimera over six times his size was not her son.

"You..." The lion head growled.

"Are..." The goat head brayed.

"Not..." The reptilian head snarled.

The beast's heads snarled in unison, "Our master!" It stomped it's feet and whipped it's scorpion tail. "The artificials are dead!" They howled, "You cannot control us anymore!"

Elysia's mind raced as she desperately tried to piece together what she was witnessing.

(Artificials? What is that? Who is that? Was this part of the reason Selim had guards once?)

Selim sighed in disappointment at the beast's declaration, "It took you how many years to form that one sentence? Pathetic."

The beast roared as it lunged at Selim, electing a scream from Mrs. Bradley.

(She didn't care how he acted, he was still her son!)

Elysia hid her eyes, her best friend from grade school was about to be ripped apart and-

(He was laughing?)

"All of you are pathetic," he chuckled.

The chimera was dead on the ground before him.

The shadows began to draw back towards him and Selim stumbled backwards. "Too much energy, not enough souls..." He moaned, clutching his chest.

Mrs. Bradley rushed forward, but the shadows still helping Selim to remain standing caused her to pause.

He stumbled back to the wall as the shadows returned to his body. He slumped to the ground, "Not again..." He smashed his fist into the ground. He looked at Mrs. Bradley and Elysia, his eyes wide in frustration. "Every time!" He roared, the shadows flaring weakly around him. "I can't remember! And when I do-"

His head slumped forward and the shadows retracted immediately.

Elysia stood frozen in place, "What was that?"

Mrs. Bradley shook her head sadly, "I don't know."

(Memories of another day like this came to her mind. This wasn't the first time that his dark side had manifested.)

The chimera's body fizzled and began to dissolve, the blood evaporating from the floors.

"But what was that?" Elysia whispered, "He's never..."

(Did she have a right to know the truth?)

Mrs. Bradley sighed, "Elysia, do you remember when Selim had guards around him all the time?"

Elysia nodded slowly, "Yeah, but what does that have to do with..." She exhaled and breathed in deeply. "Those men weren't guarding him, were they?"

Mrs. Bradley shook her head. "If that," she gestured to Selim laying unconscious, "Had happened when he had a guard, he would be dead by now."

"But why?" Elysia whispered, kneeling down and, with only slight hesitation, brushed Selim's bangs out of his eyes.

His birthmark was almost gone, that little circle that had never made any sense to her. It wasn't a birthmark, but she could never figure out what it was. She always assumed it was a scar, but it suddenly seemed like she knew nothing about Selim.

Selim: the boy who used to sneak his bird into school, the boy who would protect her from the bullies in preschool, the boy who Roy always seemed so wary of, the boy who could control the shadows...

Mrs. Bradley sighed, "I never knew why. I just know he did terrible things once, and frankly, I don't want to know."

Elysia looked at Mrs. Bradley in confusion, "Why?"

Mrs. Bradley shrugged, "The past can't harm us. It's what you do with the past that shapes the future."

"Ignoring it won't help us though!"

Mrs. Bradley sighed, "I'd rather have my son live in ignorance than watch him die."

Elysia nodded slowly. Her reasoning, however harsh, made sense. "I won't tell anyone."

Mrs. Bradley nodded with a kind smile, "I know you won't, dear."

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Living in an isolated house on the eastern outskirts of Central never seemed convenient until the chimera attack.

In a normal neighborhood, the beast would've been spotted and Selim's outburst wouldn't have passed without any repercussions.

As it was though, Selim awoke the next day in a haze of confusion and went about his life as normal. Elysia had left earlier that day, having stayed the night in case any other chimeras appeared.

She stopped in at Roy's office on her way home. Mrs. Bradley's explanation just left too many questions unanswered. While the older woman seemed content to raise her inhuman son and not ask questions, it wasn't in Elysia's nature to leave loose ends. And to her, Selim Bradley was the biggest loose end that she had ever come across.

Every day, Uncle Roy went to lunch at noon and spent one hour at his favorite cafe in Central with Hawkeye.

During that hour, the Fuehrer's office was unguarded for fifteen minutes as the guards changed shifts.

Sometimes it really did pay to be close friends with the Fuehrer. Elysia's plan was devilishly simple. She would sneak in during the shift change, use the photo copier at Hawkeye's desk to duplicate the records, and solve the mystery.

There was one glaring hole that she kept puzzling over though. These records would take time to locate, if they even existed, but if her uncle was anything then he was most definitely a creature of habit.

Hawkeye organized his desk every two weeks, and any files that he had looked at that week were stored in the top drawer of his desk.

As long as Hawkeye hadn't organized his desk, the file should be right there waiting for her to copy from his meeting with Mrs. Bradley a few days ago.

The long hallway to the Fuehrer's office was clear of people as she snuck down and opened the wooden door engraved with the Amestrian dog. Uncle Roy really wasn't a very cautious man, she mused as she placed the key to his office back in her pocket. What national leader gives a seventeen-year-old girl the key to their office?

His office was just as she expected it, messy but organized. With the exception of Hawkeye's pristine desk, the room was piled with papers in some skewed semblance of order and the light streaming in from the barred windows revealed an unobstructed view of Central.

She quickly rushed to his desk, whipping open the top drawer and riffling through the papers. It didn't even occur to her that she should pay attention to the order of the files.

A file marked 'Selim Bradley' in big, bold letters was right in front of her, a wave of relief washed over her as she realized that she was right. The enormity of this task was weighing on her shoulders as she rushed to the scanner, sending every page of Selim's file through it. The sleek scanner barely made a noise as it duplicated all the papers flawlessly.

Words stood out at her from the pages, making her want to stop and read them all right there.

(Homunculus.)

She quickly put the file back into the desk, pushing the papers back into a neat pile.

(Pride.)

The drawer slammed shut a little louder than she liked.

(Father.)

She sprinted over to her bag, unzipping it quickly.

(Promised Day.)

There was a key in the door; she could hear it trying to turn in the already-open lock.

(Amnesia.)

That last word stood out the most, but the sound of the door opening prompted her to stuff the papers into her bag.

Roy walked in and frowned, "Elysia, why are you in here?" He spun around and glanced at the doors, "How did you even get in here?"

Elysia groaned, praying that she wasn't shaking as badly as she thought. "It was supposed to be a surprise!" She pulled out the dessert that she had prepared just for this reason and sighed. "I made you a chocolate chip cookie sandwich because Mom was talking about how stressed you've been recently so I thought I'd leave you this with a note and..." She trailed off, hoping that her uncle didn't notice how fast she had spoken, or the sweat forming on her face.

Roy's face softened as he grinned brightly, "You didn't have to do all of that!" He accepted the sandwich from her and enveloped her in a huge hug. "Why don't you head back home? I'll see you later, okay?"

Elysia accepted the hug gratefully and laughed in relief, "You're still coming over for dinner, right?"

Roy nodded and released her, "Now you better run along before Hawkeye accuses me of slacking off, she'll be back soon and I need to pretend that I was working."

Elysia laughed, "Bye, Uncle Roy!"

"Bye, Elysia!"

Elysia stuck her tongue out at him and trotted out, closing the door behind her.

(She did it! She really did it!)

She had just broken into the most high security office in Amestris and got out without a hitch.

She resisted the urge to jump for joy as she walked down the hall, now she could figure this entire thing out.

(Maybe someone should tell Roy that he needs to up the security around here a bit...)

* * *

The papers before her didn't make sense. They were in Amestrian, with no glaring grammatical mistakes, but they just didn't make sense. She ran her eyes over the first page for the fifth time.

She had read the whole stack over four times and it still didn't make any more sense than it did the first four times.

_Selim Bradley_

_Alias:_ _  
_ _Pride the Arrogant_

_Age:_ _  
_ _Unknown, estimated over three-hundred years old_

_Affiliations:_ _  
_ _Enemy of Amestris (Past)_ _  
_ _Seemingly neutral (Current)_

_Status:_ _  
_ _Yellow (Approach with caution)_

_Powers/Talents:_ _  
_ _Control over the shadows_ _  
_ _Regenerative powers_ _  
_ _Limited immortality_ _  
_ _Extreme intellect_ _  
_ _Skilled manipulation_

_Notes:_ _  
_ _Appears to have no memories of his life before the Promised Day. However, despite his apparent innocence, do not let your guard down around him and do not act suspicious._

Elysia tossed the page away. The sketch of Selim was of him when he was younger, at least ten, but with an arrogant smirk on his face and his eyes narrowed in contempt.

Selim never made that face.

(Except for last night.)

She shook her head, this couldn't be real! It must've been some joke file. It couldn't possibly be real.

Selim was seventeen years old - not over three-hundred.

He certainly wasn't named Pride.

And he wasn't immortal; he aged and grew like a normal person.

She sank to the floor and buried her head in her hands, desperately trying to ignore the obvious.

(Why would a fake file be in the Fuehrer's office?)

The only explanation was that it wasn't fake - but the things that it said that Selim did.

He couldn't eat his own brother - he doesn't have one. He couldn't force Roy to commit human transmutation - he wasn't even born at that time. And he certainly couldn't have plotted to steal all of the Amestrian peoples' souls; this is the same boy who flinched when a lion roared at the zoo.

Selim was physically impossible of doing the things he was accused of here.

(Sure, Roy could do circle-less alchemy and she knew that only those who had seen the Portal of Truth could use that type of alchemy...)

The boy who helped her when bullies had locked her in the janitor's closet could not be responsible for hundreds of deaths.

Elysia felt a tear roll out of her eye, but she quickly wiped it away, a twinge of anger causing her hands to shake.

(How could Roy hide this from her?)

She gathered all of the papers and stuffed them in a folder, desperately trying to forget everything she had read.

(Selim wasn't a monster. He was her best friend.)

It suddenly made sense to her why Mrs. Bradley had no desire to learn of her son's past, and Elysia couldn't help but wish that she had shared that sentiment.

* * *


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Selim's head was still pounding three days after his episode and he still couldn't understand what happened.

Not to mention, his mind wasn't his own recently.

(It was, but it wasn't.)

It was almost like he was watching a movie. The stranger in his body did nothing he wouldn't do. Like an actor playing a part, he went to school, joked with his friends, and spent time with Kage. He was still in control, but he couldn't understand what he was doing.

(He couldn't concentrate with the echoes of screams in his head.)

Nothing made sense anymore.

His subconscious seemed to snort at him and say in a twisted voice, like a pit of slithering snakes, "Nothing will ever be the same again."

* * *

Elysia grinned at Selim and William; the latter had been at his father's house and was unable to see his friends for the past week. Now, the trio was at Roy's mansion for Elysia's eighteenth birthday party.

Selim grinned at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Now you're officially in the adult club!"

"That's pleasant." William commented casually, pushing his glasses back onto his face.

Elysia sighed, "One more year until we can all go to those wild parties."

"Or we can go now..." Selim suggested with a playful grin.

Roy coughed loudly as he entered with three cups of drinks in his hands.

"To help Ms. Hawkeye with the cake!" He finished quickly with a nervous laugh as he darted towards the kitchen.

The Fuehrer's mansion was the epitome of Amestrian architecture and styling, host to no less than the finest and most modern equipment available.

The kitchen was filled with steel appliances and cookware, the walls a stylish brown with marble counters under the mahogany cabinets.

Hawkeye was placing the final candle into the cake when Selim spoke up.

"Do you need any help?"

The seasoned soldier jumped at the sound of his voice and shook her head, "I'm alright, Selim. You can head back to the dining room."

"If you say so, Lieut- Ah, Ms. Hawkeye." He quickly covered up his mistake as he darted out of the room, ignoring the suspicious look that followed him.

Selim settled back down at the wide glass table and glanced out the window, admiring the view of the lake in front of the mansion and the blue flames burning in the braziers bordering the walkway down to it.

Ms. Hawkeye leaned out from the kitchen, gesturing to Roy to grab his attention. Selim had no doubt that the perceptive woman was talking about his slip-up in the kitchen. Whatever nature that he has unintentionally conveyed to her was obviously of some concern, even if calling her 'Lieutenant' seemed as natural as her given name.

Roy's brow furrowed and he cast Selim a nervous glance, but then went over to Hawkeye.

Selim shrugged off their strange behavior and turned to William, "Have you rented anything for the dance next week?"

The small boy frowned, "I need to rent something?"

"A dress suit..." Elysia prompted slowly.

At William's blank gaze, Selim decided to rephrase the question. "Do you have anything to wear for the dance?"

William's frown deepened, "I need to have something specific to wear?"

Selim groaned in despair and Elysia's head met the table with a thud.

Roy jumped at the sound and spun around to face the trio, seemingly prepared for the worst. However, when Elysia raised her head and cocked an eyebrow at him questioningly, he gave them a quick thumbs-up and returned to his conversation.

"William, you need to wear a tuxedo to the dance." Selim told him.

The small boy's eyes widened behind his glasses, "What? No one told me this!"

Elysia laughed, "I thought it was common knowledge."

Selim nodded, "I've got an old one that should fit me just fine."

"Do you have anything that'll fit me?" William pleaded, "I can't tell my mom that I need a tuxedo in less than a week!"

Selim frowned, "I don't think I was ever your size..."

"I'll take anything!"

Elysia shook her head, "Why don't you just borrow one of your father's?" She asked William.

"He's too big!"

"I'll see if I can't find one that might fit you," Selim said. "I think I've got one from when I was ten..."

"Oh! Thank you!" William cheered, a broad smile splitting across his face.

"Elysia, do you have your dress?"

The girl's green eyes darted away from his, looking at the picture of Roy and Riza hanging over the fireplace. "Do any of you guys think it's odd that Ms. Hawkeye is always in pictures with Roy?"

Selim smirked, "You don't have a dress yet."

"It's just odd seeing as they aren't even officially dating..."

Selim frowned as Elysia continued to ignore him; his victorious smirk disappearing as he leaned forward. "Are you going to the dance?"

Elysia sighed, burying her head in her hands, "Yes, but my mom has been sick these past few weeks and..."

Selim shook his head, "Say no more!" He grinned, "I've got you all covered, tomorrow you can go with my mother and I when we go to get my tie."

Elysia frowned, "But how would I pay for it-"

Selim held up his hand, "Remember how I got that job at the history archives?"

Elysia nodded slowly, not understanding where it was going.

Selim grinned mischievously, "You'll see when you get your present."

Elysia's mouth dropped open, "You can't do that! I can buy my own dress!"

Selim's laugh filled the room, it's normally cruel sound offset by the look of amusement clear on his face.

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 5

 

* * *

**Chapter 6: Chapter 5**

* * *

Chapter 5:

Elysia looked at the ticket sitting on her dresser and smiled happily. She flung herself across her bed and spun around as she grabbed her diary. Writing in it daily was a childish habit, but she liked to think that she was telling her father about her day when she wrote in it. She couldn't remember what he was like, but she knew he loved her and her mother and she still felt a pang of loss whenever she thought about him. From the way Roy would talk about him, she just wished she had been old enough to know him.

* * *

Selim looked incredibly nervous when Ms. Hawkeye brought out Elysia's presents and handed her his gift first. The silver foil crumpled as she opened the purple bag, searching through it for her gifts.

She smiled as she pulled out the next two books in her favorite series, the author had been churning out books at a ridiculous rate and she had been complaining about keeping up with them. "Selim! This is great! I can't wait to read them!"

Her friend nodded awkwardly and said, "Check the first page."

She opened it and gasped. Inside, there was a ticket and a note written in Selim's elegant handwriting declaring, 'One dress of your choice!' With a smiley face next to it.

Selim cleared his throat, "Ah, Elysia, do you want- would you like to go to the, ah- " He scratched the back of his neck, aware of William kicking him under the table to encourage him. "The dance with me?"

Elysia grinned, "How could I say no if you bought me a ticket?"

His face fell, "So you don't want to go with me? That's totally okay-"

Elysia quickly enveloped him in a friendly hug and Selim relaxed. "I was hoping you'd ask, silly."

"Oh," he chuckled. "Right, I knew that all along."

* * *

Elysia finished recording the events in her diary and closed up the small red book.

Selim was an idiot, and he was her best friend.

(He wasn't some heartless monster.)

Those papers were wrong.

She had been trying to forget about her discovery all day and had succeeded until now. Ignoring the suspicious glances sent at Selim and his occasional odd behavior was almost second nature to her, even if her mind was filing away every incident as proof to the paper's authenticity.

The same boy that ate three men on record was not the same as the one who offered to buy her a dress for the dance in three days.

It just wasn't possible.

* * *

"So the chimeras didn't work?" One figure exclaimed in frustration.

The room was dense with the clamor of voices as the leader desperately tried to calm them down. The dark room was almost tinted red from a mixture of the fury from the crowd and the dim light from the bare bulbs hanging on the ceiling.

"Enough!"

The cacophony of voices continued, ignoring the leader's pleas to return to order.

The man growled, fighting back his instinct to rip apart everyone in the room for daring to defy him. He smashed his fist on the board behind him. "I said, enough!" He howled thunderously, "How can we expect to revive our god if we can't even settle down long enough to form a plan?"

The chorus died down as all the men turned to him expectantly.

"So what's the plan then, boss-man?" A snide voice asked.

"Now that the chimeras have failed, what else is left for us to do?" Another commented glumly.

Their leader laughed in reply and spun around, writing a date on the board.

"But that's in three days!"

"How can we organize that quickly?"

The man held up his hand, waiting for the silence that he warranted.

"It's simple. Listen here, men." He smirked viciously, "And listen well, I'll only repeat myself once."

* * *

Mrs. Bradley couldn't help but pace her house as she gazed at the phone.

She couldn't help the fear that was seeping into her aging heart as her son displayed more tendencies that didn't seem like him. He was acting more withdrawn and cold; he didn't even seem to notice the difference in his behavior though.

(No one did.)

He put on a smile for his friends and visitors, but Mrs. Bradley could see the cracks in his facade. He was confused about something and she didn't know why.

She refused to acknowledge the truth of what it was - it just couldn't be that. There was no way he could remember.

(Edward Elric had told her himself that her son was an inhuman experiment...)

The Selim that smiled at her this morning as he went to Elysia's eighteenth birthday party wasn't the same monster that he used to be.

(But still...)

The love for her son and the worry of what could be happening was bothering her immensely, and there was only one person who would be willing to listen to her concerns and not call the military in immediately.

Or at least, she sincerely hoped so, because if they did, the world was going to see a whole new side to her that she kept tightly under wraps.

* * *

The phone rang sharply, its shrill cry tearing through the silence in the old home.

"I'm not getting it."

"Well, I'm not either!"

A few rings passed before it ceased its insistent wailing.

"Isn't it normally ringing for longer?"

A disinterested huff greeted him as his wife rolled over in the bed, "Go back to sleep, we'll figure it out in the morning."

He pulled the blanket more securely around his body, beginning to fall asleep again.

"Dad! Someone's on the phone for you!" A voice yelled.

"Dammit, son! Why'd you answer? I thought we agreed that if anybody called, especially that one bastard in Central - or just anyone from Central - then we would pretend that we moved!"

A sigh reached his ears from his ten-year-old son as he whispered something into the phone. A few beats passed before he yelled back, "She says her name is Mrs. Bradley! Something about a kid named Selim?"

Edward Elric shot out of the bed as fast as his aching leg would allow and hobbled to the kitchen, fixing a robe around him to protect him from the frigid air in the house.

He snatched the phone from his son and gave the boy an approving nod, earning a slight grin and a salute from the boy.

He really did look like his father, with the same golden eyes and crooked grin. The only difference was his hair, a stark white blond cut close to his skull as opposed to his father's flowing golden locks.

Ed's face darkened as he listened to the voice on the other end, "Does anyone else know about this?"

He sighed at the response, "He could return to his old ways though! He's incredibly dangerous, the only reason we beat him was pure luck!"

A loud voice countered him, but the words were almost indistinguishable. Ed had no trouble comprehending the speech though and grinned faintly. "I see now why the old Fuehrer liked you." He commented quietly. "Look, I won't tell anyone." He was frowning in apprehension, "Keep me updated though, and tell me immediately if anything happens."

He nodded slowly at the response, "Good luck, Mrs. Bradley." He trailed off, contemplating what he should say next. "Just remember, he loved you before too. You don't have anything to fear from him."

Even his son, who had stuck around for the whole conversation out of curiosity, could hear the blatant lie as Ed spoke those last words.

"What was that about?" He asked once his father had hung up the phone and sunk wearily into the nearest chair.

"A warning," the former alchemist sighed, swinging his aching leg. "I have a feeling I need to have your mother fix up my leg again..."

* * *

Mrs. Bradley didn't hear her son come in, and she certainly wasn't expecting Selim to be standing in the hall when she exited the kitchen.

A loud shriek escaped her as she grabbed her heart in terror, "Selim! I wasn't expecting you..."

Her son smiled, but Mrs. Bradley wasn't oblivious enough to miss the hurt look in his eyes and the guilt he felt. "I'm sorry, Mother. I didn't mean to scare you, are you alright?"

Mrs. Bradley smiled kindly at her son, "I'm fine, Selim. When did you get here?" She tried to keep the worry out of her tone as she imagined the questions that Selim would have if he overheard her conversation.

Selim lied straight through his teeth, "I just got here. Elysia's party was great."

His act was more than enough to fool his mother into a false sense of security.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 7: Chapter 6**

* * *

Chapter 6:

The next few days were a blur of preparations for the dance with Selim and Elysia going dress shopping, William racing around to find a suit, and Mrs. Bradley stressing over every little bit of Selim's attire.

"Do you have the corsage for Elysia?" Mrs. Bradley fretted, fusing over her son's tie.

Selim grinned broadly and raised the small arrangement of white flowers with green ribbons and gems, holding it carefully by the wrist band. "Yes, Mother. I've got everything."

"Your ticket?"

"Check."

"Suit is all in order?"

"Of course."

"Shoes polished?"

"I should hope so," he grinned down at his distorted reflection in his shoes, ignoring the familiarity of the view of the world through a distorted lens.

His black hair was trimmed to where it was hanging close to his ears, his bangs covering the faded spot on his forehead and hanging in a styled messiness that only he could achieve to perfection.

(Selim had always taken an unusual amount of pride in his hair.)

The only issue was the small tuft of hair on his head was sticking out like usual. No matter what he did, that piece of hair would never lie flat.

His mauve eyes were offset nicely by his purple tie - although he had originally intended to wear green to match Elysia, but she threw a fit when he had suggested it - and the suit cut his lean figure nicely.

Selim straightened his tie, looking down at it as he fiddled with it.

Mrs. Bradley grinned as she whipped out her camera, snapping a picture before Selim could protest.

The photo came out of the bottom and she grabbed it, waving it in the air as it developed.

She presented the photo to her son, electing a small chuckle from him as he observed the picture.

"I want to get a picture of you and Elysia together as well!"

Selim sighed and nodded, checking the time on the clock nearby. "We need to go before we're late to pick her up."

Elysia lived within five minutes walking distance from the ballroom rented for the occasion, so Selim had agreed to meet her at her house and walk with her to the ballroom.

The drive to his friend's house was quiet as both mother and son were lost in their thoughts.

Mrs. Bradley was desperately trying to ignore the foreboding feeling that she had.

Selim couldn't shake the nerves churning in his stomach, even as he walked up to the door with his mother behind him; his hand hesitated before he knocked loudly.

Gracia Hughes opened the door, grinning broadly at the two people on her doorstep. "Come in, come in! Elysia is almost done getting ready."

Selim felt the same pang of guilt that he always got when he saw Mrs. Hughes, and a flash of anger at someone.

(He could see him... Green hair, wild eyes... And was that a skirt?)

"Good evening, Mrs. Hughes." He greeted formally, adopting his mask of innocence with ease.

The turmoil in his head wouldn't cease.

"Selim! You look so handsome!" She squealed in joy, "You must be so proud!" She exclaimed to Mrs. Bradley.

Selim felt a rush of amusement flash through him at the comment.

(What was so funny about that?)

The older mother nodded and began talking all about the process of getting him ready with Mrs. Hughes.

He stood off to the side of the foyer; the small apartment was cozy with its large living area in the entrance and the small hallway with three rooms branching off of it.

The simple design style was homey, with white appliances and cream walls.

Selim found his way to the brown couch and sank down into the plush cushions with a sigh. Elysia was notoriously slow at getting ready. Every hair had to be perfectly placed and every dot of makeup must be-

"Selim!"

He looked up and his mouth fell open at the sight of his best friend.

Sure, it was common knowledge that Elysia Hughes was a girl, but it seemed to only be registering in his mind now as he viewed his best friend in a new light.

Her brown hair was done in soft ringlets pulled up in the back with a emerald clip. Her makeup was minimal, but the simplicity of it only worked to enhance her natural beauty. The dress was a soft green with white gems doting the bodice and it flowed down around her legs in a long skirt.

Simply put, Elysia Hughes was absolutely stunning.

"What?" She asked worriedly, "Do I have too much makeup on my face?"

Selim shook his head quickly, standing up and presenting her with the corsage. He slipped it onto her wrist and smiled broadly at her. "You look absolutely beautiful, Elysia."

Elysia's eyes twinkled with joy as she looked up at him, "Really?"

"I guarantee that you'll be that most stunning girl there."

(Why did he feel nauseous as he said that?)

Mrs. Bradley laughed, shocking the two out of their trance. "Save it for the dance, we need pictures!"

"Right," Selim blushed furiously and he felt a surge of rage at Elysia for making him appear so foolish. His face was turning red!

(What was he thinking? What was going on with him?)

"Cheese!"

A hollow smile stretched across his face for the camera, but a sideways glance at Elysia ensured that it was real by the time the flash went off.

* * *

It only took William two minutes to decide he had had enough of the dance. "This is bigger than I expected." He observed, his eyes the size of saucers behind his large glasses. "I think we can go now."

An attempt at squeezing between Selim and Elysia failed as the two hauled him back and led him in.

"Come on, William! It'll be fun!" Elysia squealed happily.

Selim nodded, "You're going to love it."

Truthfully, despite William's statement, the ballroom was small and contained only about fifty people all dressed nicely.

"It's nice seeing everyone so dressed up!" Elysia exclaimed, "Everyone's so pretty!"

Selim chuckled, "Are you saying I don't dress nice regularly?"

"Selim, you're the only one who refuses to wear anything less than a freshly ironed shirt."

Selim huffed while William giggled at him, "You do!"

"I take great pride in my appearance." He ignored the thrill of inane amusement that shot through him once again.

"Besides, Will, you're looking sharp tonight." Selim teased, straightening his friend's tie on his sleek new suit.

William frowned; fidgeting with the tie after Selim had released it. "I do not, you and Elysia look way better than I do..."

Selim frowned and Elysia sighed, "You're impossible." She grabbed him in a huge hug, "How about we go dance, handsome?"

She raced off with William squealing for Selim's help as she approached the empty dance floor.

Selim chuckled, following in their wake with a small smile gracing his features.

* * *

Another slow song started, Elysia had them dancing all night with only one break allowed when they were all about to fall over.

(Selim wasn't the faintest bit tired, but he pretended to wipe the nonexistent sweat off his face as he huffed and puffed dramatically.)

William groaned, "Do I have I have to dance?"

Elysia chucked, "You can go sit this one out."

Selim grinned mischievously as William walked away, "Can I have this dance, milady?" He bowed dramatically, holding his arm out with a flourish.

Elysia sighed, "You're insane."

"I'll take that as a yes." He whisked her to the center of the ballroom, leading her in the dance with unprecedented skill.

"Since when could you dance?"

Selim looked slightly puzzled as he answered, not even glancing at his feet as he lead with professional grace. "Two minutes ago?"

Elysia laughed with her head back and teeth shining.

Selim grinned as well, chuckling at his own joke as he felt a surge of confidence. "You know, Elysia, I think that I might-"

"You talk too much," Elysia huffed, interrupting him. "I can't hear the music."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Elysia leaning her head forward.

Selim almost missed a step in his confusion as she rested her head on his chest.

"I'm actually starting to get tired."

(Of course she is, pathetic human energy levels...)

"Your heart sounds weird."

"What?" The odd thoughts in Selim's head ground to a halt.

"It's not a thump; it's more of a whoosh..." Elysia mused, she was easily distracted.

Selim shrugged, "It's always been like that."

"It doesn't even sound like a heart-"

The music came to an abrupt halt with the clash and clang of instruments as the orchestra fell to the ground.

Selim raised his head, instinctively clutching Elysia closer as he glanced around.

People were starting to run, screams and distorted gurgles filling the air.

The change from music to chaos was so dizzyingly fast that Selim felt disoriented.

(Nothing unusual for him, really.)

Elysia squirmed in his arms and he gasped, releasing her instantly. "Sorry! I didn't even-"

Elysia shook her head, "What's going on? Where's William?"

"Guys!"

Both of their heads turned to see William racing towards them, "Something's here! It's attacking the-"

Their timid friend didn't even get another word out as he gazed down at his chest in shock.

A long black blade was sticking out of his chest, slick with his blood.

Selim felt tears prick at his eyes.

(His head was throbbing...)

Elysia screamed, grabbing Selim's arm in a death grip as the creature behind William pulled its claw out of him.

Their friend's body tumbled to the ground like a rag doll, the glasses accenting his eyes frozen in terror. His once crisp suit was torn and strained with blood.

Selim grabbed Elysia and ran before the creature could pursue them.

His brain felt like a series of fireworks had exploded. Images and memories that he had never even known that he had were pressing forward in his mind, clamoring for his attention.

* * *

"You are not what I anticipated." A blond man mused, holding him up.

The whole world was distorted, as if he was viewing it through glass.

The man sighed in disappointment, "We'll just have to find you a container and you can be free, my first son."

He was set down onto a table and the man walked away, muttering to himself.

"Maybe if I were to have a host body ready and create the next homunculus inside it..." He scratched his head, "This one is useless without a body..." He froze and looked down at his feet, then back at the table. "I could always scrap it, why should I hold onto the failed projects?"

* * *

"Don't cry."

A sharp sting of pain greeted him as he sniffled pathetically.

"But I have failed you, Father. I was unable to-"

The voice remained eerily calm as it repeated. "I said, no crying!" The sting of pain erupted into a searing agony.

Red sparks danced across his vision, blurring his view of the cruel man before him.

(He was his Father, he must be obeyed.)

* * *

A man ran, cries of terror ripping out of his throat as he stumbled over tree roots in the dark forest.

A wall of shadows blocked his path, others advancing slowly toward him like snakes slithering towards prey.

The image broke into distorted views, like he had several eyes, as the man was ripped apart viciously.

* * *

He stood in the shadows, keeping close to the wall as he smirked.

The shadows hovering before the woman had their intended effect, and the manipulation of their voices was working even better to terrorize his prey.

Her eyes were wide in sheer terror.

A shadowy hand wrapped around her ankle.

She screamed as blood began to pool in the wound and trickle down. "Who are you?"

He didn't answer as he sent more shadows to restrain the woman.

He was getting better at this.

(One day, he would be able to make his Father proud.)

* * *

Ms. Hawkeye stood frozen in terror.

(She doesn't scare easily.)

"So you figured it out, did you?"

The shadows echoed his voice all around her, making it seem as if he was everywhere.

"Who are you?"

He smirked, the shadows opening their eyes as they looked out at her. "I am Pride, the first homunculus."

* * *

Edward Elric stood before him, looking younger and stronger than he'd ever seen him. "Can't you see your Father doesn't care about you?"

He was holding his face, his view limited to one eye.

(He had to hold his container together; he'd die if it broke.)

"That's not true!"

His voice was distorted, everything was distorted!

What was going on?

Why was everything red?

Why was he-

He was dying!

"You speak of your precious Pride, that quality for which you were named. But then you suddenly find yourself in grave danger and you seek to escape into the body of a human - a lower life form you so despise. It's pathetic. YOU'RE A DISGRACE!"

Everything was gone.

Everything.

He had failed.

He failed his Father.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Chapter 7**

* * *

Chapter 7:

Amnesia is a curious disease.

Normally, it is diagnosed quickly due to the violent nature of its occurrence, but one can live with it for years and never notice anything wrong.

Sure, there are some symptoms like confusion and loss of coordination, but those things can be written off and ignored. However, what Selim Bradley was experiencing, while similar in nature to amnesia, was different.

He had the confusion. He had the traumatic experience to cause it, but how would you know that you had amnesia if you had lived a whole life in a different body as an artificial being with almost god-like powers?

Being reborn and raised as a "human" that should have had no memories of life before their first birthday certainly didn't help the recovery process either. After all, why would you try to remember something that happened to you before you existed?

So thus, the final homunculus was sent on the long road to recovery.

One recommended way to remember something you've forgotten is to retrace your steps, thinking back on what you were doing when you got the idea that you'd forgotten. Visuals help in this, if you remember something you were looking at when you thought up the idea, look at it again. Your subconscious will then connect all the dots and the idea will come back to you.

It's funny how your brain can remember that you're forgetting something but not what you're forgetting.

Now, imagine your brain was a supercomputer charged with knowledge and power.

Think of how much more cluttered it would be when trying to remember something. Then, think of how much easier it would be to remember it all once you've remembered that you've forgotten something.

For Selim Bradley, he first remembered at the age of fourteen.

(Human age of fourteen, truthfully, he was only twelve years into his new life, but his extreme intellect had prompted his mother to send him to school two years before most humans would.)

Tragically, due to overexertion soon after his recovery, the memories were lost once again in the tides of the mind.

The second time was three years later, when a fear for the ones that he loved reawakened those memories to defend them.

Once again, however, he overexerted himself and lost the fleeting memories.

He never truly remembered either of those times though. He remembered bits and pieces, how he needed to act and what he had to do. He never remembered it all because he simply didn't have enough time to think.

He caught the basis of the idea, but not the details.

That was only the first two times though and, as the old human saying goes, third time's the charm.

* * *

The only thing that Selim could process was one simple, two word phrase: "I've failed."

Elysia ignored his frantic mumblings as she grabbed his hand, ignoring the shock that her friend had fallen into as they fled the ballroom.

William was fine. He couldn't be dead. They had just been talking to him! She had just let him go sit down from the dancing!

(If only she hadn't let him leave their side.)

They had been running for almost ten minutes, the street around them empty and barren of all life. The street lights elongated the shadows, allowing them to stretch across the street with ease.

Elysia ignored all of this though as she continued running, their shadows following in long-legged strides.

(Selim's shadow was pitch black, bubbling and shifting oddly.)

The sound of their footsteps came to an abrupt halt as Selim locked his legs and sighed deeply. "I failed him."

(Well, that's a start at a coherent sentence.)

Elysia shook her head, tears flowing freely, "You didn't! We couldn't do anything!"

Selim looked at her in confusion before he scoffed, "I don't care about that!" He crossed his arms and leveled his cold gaze at her. "I'm not talking about that pathetic human, I'm talking about Father!"

Elysia didn't even have to ask for Selim to see her confusion.

He stomped his foot in indignation, "This is ridiculous! They wrote us out of the history books!" Selim snarled, "I helped create this country and yet they refuse to acknowledge our existence!"

"Our?"

"Shut up!" He howled, "I'm not talking to you!"

Selim's voice almost seemed to be echoing out of the shadows.

His eyes had the wild look of a cornered animal as he glanced around the street. "They'll find me, he'll kill me!"

"Who? Father?"

"No, you idiot! Stop talking! I can't think."

Elysia had no idea what was going on, all she knew was that Selim had gone insane. William's death must've taken a harder toll on him than she thought.

(He's not dead, stop thinking that.)

"They'll know now." Selim almost cackled, beginning to pace nervously.

"No." His eyes hardened, "I can't lose my mind now-" He sank to his knees, clutching his head in his hands. "But they're so loud!"

Elysia felt herself take a few involuntary steps back, everything in her screaming to run away now.

She felt like a gazelle staring into the eyes of a crazed lion.

(Selim wouldn't like that metaphor, he hates lions.)

"Truth! How did I ever deal with this?" Selim groaned, "I'm getting a headache."

He shook his head quickly, "Why am I complaining?"

"I'm better than this," Selim ground out. His voice kept echoing, the metallic whispers only adding to the irrational terror that Elysia was feeling.

(Was it really irrational?)

"I am Pride!" Selim roared, holding a hand to his head as he slowly rose to his feet. "I will not be defeated by my own power!"

Elysia couldn't leave him like this, he was insane.

Selim was breathing heavily, fog - no, shadows - were curling around his feet. His mauve eyes glittered with determination and arrogance. "I will not be defeated."

He glanced at Elysia, still shaking violently, and sighed, "I would say I have some explaining to do, but it would be easier to simply kill you."

(He was pale and ragged looking, but somehow he only seemed more dangerous.)

Elysia's tears increased in a torrent.

(She was pathetic! A sobbing mess! She already had to deal with William's death and now this?)

Her makeup was smudged and running, her beautiful dress torn and ragged from all of the running.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke?" She screamed, "William is dead! And you're going insane!"

Selim smirked, "I see nothing funny about this." His voice was behind her, above her, beside her, echoing from the shadows. "I only see what I must do to ensure my victory." He shrugged, "Nothing personal."

Elysia screamed as she felt the shadows twine around her feet and drag her back into the alley as Selim slowly followed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Chapter 8**

* * *

Chapter 8:

Roy had been sitting by the phone all night with an almost obsessive diligence.

It seemed as if he knew that something was going to go wrong, but then again, he was like a father to Elysia and he had just seen her off with a boy. He was bound to jump to the worst conclusions.

"Come on, sir. Just leave the phone and at least get something to eat." Hawkeye pleaded, thinking of ways to remove the stubborn Fuehrer from his watch.

"I'm fine, Riza." Roy waved her off, staring at the phone as he fidgeted with the white gloves in his lap.

Riza sighed, sitting down next to him.

Roy looked at her in confusion, "What? This is my job, not yours."

Riza chuckled, "If that were the case, I would've left your side years ago."

Roy smiled softly at that, "I-"

The shrill ring of the phone jolted them out of their conversation, Roy's eyes widened and then darkened as he grabbed the phone with one hand. The other was trying to shimmy on his gloves.

"Yes?"

The voice on the other end was frantic; but the words were clear even from where Riza was sitting.

"It's the dance, sir! We- we don't know what happened, but we've got over fifteen casualties. I can't explain it, it came out of nowhere-"

"Where's Elysia?" Mustang interrupted, eyes burning as he pulled on his final glove.

"One second and I'll check that, sir!" The voice cut off and then returned in a fuzzy haze. "The name's not among the identified dead but if she's here, she hasn't checked in with any of the officers-"

"I'm on my way."

"But, sir, this is a-"

Mustang hung up the phone, already halfway out the door with his coat in his hands as Riza scrambled after him.

For once, his level-headed assistant had no comments as she checked the cartridge on the gun in her hands.

* * *

(It's horrifying how eyes that were once so warm can turn so cold.)

* * *

Mrs. Bradley shoved through the crowds of people milling around the ballroom, "My son's in there!" She cried, ignoring the cold feeling settling in her gut.

The military barrier effectively separated her from the shell-shocked students as they tried to answer questions from authorities.

One little barrier wasn't going to stop the former First Lady of Amestris though.

She slipped through the barrier and continued towards the students, ignoring the yells from soldiers to stop.

A fresh-faced private ran up to her, the stripes on his chest signifying his relatively low rank. "Ma'am, we can't allow you back here."

Mrs. Bradley cast the man a glance and huffed, "My son is back here and if I don't see him immediately then I shall be informing the Fuehrer of your incompetence!"

The private almost scoffed, but held his tongue at the woman's fearsome glance. "Look, I'm not supposed to do this but I have a list of the decreased and most of the students accounted for, if you'd like to-"

The checklist was gone out of his hands before he could finish as Mrs. Bradley's eyes scanned the names.

The dead were listed first and a shot of horror and pain laced through her heart at the sight of William's name. The poor boy never even got a chance to live.

She couldn't help the rush of relief as she finished the list of the deceased and didn't see Selim or Elysia listed.

She proceeded to the survivors, reading through the list quickly.

Dread began to well up inside her as she finished the list and looked at the names of those missing.

It wasn't hard to find Selim and Elysia listed as the only two missing.

A choked sob forced its way out of her throat at the sight.

The private's eyes softened but he sighed, "If you'd just follow me, ma'am." He gently pried the list out of her hands as he led her back to the crowd behind the barriers.

"Mrs. Bradley!" Riza Hawkeye stepped from the Fuehrer's side as the two arrived, their transport idling by the curb.

The duo approached quickly, Mustang nodding to the private. "Thank you for watching her, I can handle this from here."

Mrs. Bradley could see the same worry that she felt reflected in Mustang's eyes. Elysia was like a daughter to him, he had stepped in when Maes wasn't able to to ensure that Elysia never forgot what it was like to have a father, even if he could never live up to his friend's example.

"Where's Elysia and Selim?" He asked, his voice rough with emotions threatening to boil over.

Mrs. Bradley shook her head, "I don't know."

Mustang cursed, fingers poised to snap as he turned to the private. "Who's your commanding officer?"

"Captain Rival-"

"Tell him I'm in charge now," Mustang barked, turning to Hawkeye who nodded in approval. "We need a perimeter set up immediately, if he's recovered his memories then the first thing he'll try to do is escape underground."

Mrs. Bradley stood up straighter as she looked the Flame Alchemist straight in the eye, "My son would never harm Elysia."

Mustang scoffed, "You don't know Pride. That worm will do anything to ensure his victory - he ate his brother!"

"You don't know Selim." She countered. Whatever her son had done before, whatever he was, there was one thing she was absolutely certain of.

Selim Bradley had changed, she knew if from the second he held Kage with tears in his eyes at the bird's suffering, and her son would never allow his best friend to come to harm.

(But if Selim is so loyal to his friends, why is one of them being wheeled out in a body bag?)

* * *

A black, hulking shape filled the tunnel leading to the dank meeting room.

"Is it done?"

The shape grunted, folding in on itself as it shrank down to a more human size. "It has begun." Its voice was a gurgling cry, almost indistinguishable from the rumble of its chest plates.

The assembled group had shrunk considerably; many of them were already dispatched in search of their quarry.

"What shall we do when we find him?" One man asked, his face was weathered and beaten with age but his eyes still shone brightly.

"We shall hope that he expresses the gratitude that we deserve and agrees to help us in our plans." The leader explained, cracking his shoulder back into place as he finally shrank to a small enough size to enter the room.

The elder chuckled, "So our whole plan is riding on the fact that this last Homunculus will help us overthrow the current government?"

The leader grabbed a towel, wiping at the dried blood that coated his hands and arms. "Essentially, yes,"

The man howled with laughter, "And what if this monster isn't an incarnation of sin that we can negotiate with?"

The leader paused, "What do you mean?"

The man's rattling laughter filled the room, "Lust, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, and Pride. We have to negotiate with one of those monsters." He raised a shaking hand, "You can't tell me that you've forgotten the one memory that all of us share?"

"What are you going on about, you old coot?" A man behind him shouted. "This is our only chance!"

The old man smiled, his two front teeth were missing, allowing his tongue to wet his lips without opening his mouth. "The Homunculi were formed from the seven deadly sins, my boy. So tell me, which one survived?"

The leader groaned, "Why does this matter?"

The man rocked back and forth, "Which form of corruption have we unleashed upon the world?" His voice rose suddenly, "May Truth have mercy on our souls for what we have started!"

The leader spun, tossing the towel to the floor as he raised a bloody hand. "We have started a revolution! A new regime that we shall lead alongside the final Homunculus!"

"Why should he work with us? We're a bunch of foolish old men, chimeras, and idealists. Why would a noble creature who once pursued such high goals fall to the level of man to play on our field?"

"Then we shall trick it, anything! It will work with us!" The leader snarled, large teeth began to jut out of his jaw.

The old man stepped down at the sight of the enraged chimera, "Good luck manipulating a monster that used to play the politics of Amestris like a piano."

His whisper was lost in the murmur of voices that rose, inquiring on the next phase of the plan.

He slowly stepped out of the room, his footsteps dragging as he retreated from the meeting area. The lost cause, the forgotten rebels, no matter what their name was, there was one factor that united them - they were all fools.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might regret doing this. -copy- -paste- -copy- -paste-


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Chapter 9**

* * *

Chapter 9:

There is always a path to victory, and no matter how rough that path will be, his pride will allow for nothing less.

* * *

The street was eerily silent; the only sound was the whisper of shadows as Pride tightened his hold on Elysia.

"Struggling only prolongs your pain." He commented, the razor-edged teeth of his shadows grazing softly against her neck.

He scrunched his eyes shut as feelings of horror and guilt rocked over him. He had to do this. There was no other way, she knew who he was. She saw it happen. His shoulders were shaking softly as he tried to command the shadows to finish it for him. He would never admit it aloud, but the feeling of her soft skin under the fangs of his shadows felt wrong. He couldn't tear into her neck; he couldn't force himself to do it under any circumstances.

(He couldn't do it.)

It was too much to just walk away from though; he had already technically kidnapped and threatened her.

Elysia's screams echoed in his mind, the feelings of sheer frustration and betrayal evident in them.

She was still screaming, but his shadows had wrapped around her mouth, effectively muting the noise to all but him.

He took a few shaky steps forward, trembling from a combination of exhaustion and fear.

Elysia tried to back away from him but she was tied to the spot by the shadows. She was shaking her head, screaming "No!" over and over again.

(He couldn't take it anymore.)

Selim dismissed the shadows around her and wrapped one hand around her mouth and grabbed her wrist with the other.

"Don't scream and don't run." He hissed, his voice back to its normal tone and not that twisted parody of it. "I'm going to release your mouth, if you scream; I'll find a less favorable way of getting what I need."

She was trembling as she nodded, but the determination glittering in her eyes unnerved him.

(It was the same look that was in Hawkeye's eyes when she figured out his true identity.)

Selim released her mouth and placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her firmly in place. The fact that he had to involve himself in holding a hostage sickened him; his shadows had always been capable of doing all of his dirty work. Without a fully-functioning Stone though, he was almost useless.

(The thought of adding Elysia's soul to his Stone never even crossed his mind. He couldn't consider such a horrible thing.)

"Why?" She whispered, looking unwaveringly into his eyes. "Why did it have to be true?"

Selim's eyebrows furrowed, "What are you talking about?"

"The file!" A tear slid down her face but she wiped it away quickly, "I know everything, I just didn't think it was true."

"They have a file on me but I'm still not in the history books." Pride grumbled, "I'm wounded."

"You can skip the theatrics," she growled, "What are you planning?" She tried to shake his hands off but that only prompted him to tighten his hold. "I know what you did in the past; you have to be planning something!"

Pride smirked, "And why should I tell you?"

Another tear slid down her face unnoticed.

(He felt like a monster for making her cry, but he was a monster, wasn't he?)

He closed his eyes; his two sides were at war in his brain. The side of him that was still friends with Elysia was winning currently, but that couldn't last forever.

"I have a right to know, dammit!" Elysia snapped, "I'm the hostage in all of this!"

Selim's eyes shot open, full of regret. "I didn't mean to involve you-"

"Don't act all nice now!" She squirmed more in his hands.

Pride shook her roughly, "Stop that! I can't think straight-" His knees buckled but he stayed upright, leaning heavily on her as he sighed. "Mother is going to be so disappointed in me..."

The distant echo of sirens shattered the quiet scene.

A smile grew across Elysia's face, "Uncle Roy knows what you are, and he'll find me."

Pride laughed, "No, he won't."

He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and roughly forced her to walk ahead, "He'll never find us where I plan on hiding."

"And where is that?"

Selim scrunched his face up, "If I told you then it wouldn't be a good hiding place!"

Elysia was starting to get whiplash from his mood swings. He was worse than she was, but she also wasn't a near-immortal being with daddy issues.

Neither of them noticed the black figure following from the distance, the only feature visible on his face was a flash of white from his wicked grin. "This is Red Dog," he whispered into a wired receiver connected to a large pack on his back. "I have found the Promised One."

* * *

Selim was at a loss. He had dragged Elysia into the old house that he was positive used to contain a tunnel to Father's lair, but there was now at least two feet of concrete blocking the entrance.

He crossed his arms and huffed, "Stupid humans..." He turned around and grabbed Elysia's arm, "I know of another one."

* * *

After several similar attempts and failures, Pride knelt in front of a sealed-off entrance to examine it. This one was located in a crypt, and the silence between Pride's enraged yells was deafening. "This is pathetic! Rather bury the past than face it!" He snarled, punching the concrete covering his escape.

Elysia shifted nervously, he was unstable. People kill when they're unstable. Pride wasn't even human; so he could easily kill her out of frustration right now. "They had to leave one entrance open, right?"

"How should I know?" Pride cackled, "I spent the past seventeen years thinking I was a normal little human!" He was raving now, "A pathetic, disgraceful little worm! How could I ever do that?"

Elysia took a few steps back, eyeing the shadows that were beginning to twine around their master's feet. "You'll never get anywhere if you keep getting angry like this."

Pride was quick to respond, "I'm not angry, I'm never angry." He sank to the floor with a sigh, "I only feel pride - I am the incarnation of pride! I cannot feel anything else..."

To Elysia, it seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than anything.

* * *

"How could you lose them, Red Dog?"

"I thought I asked for silence on my end." Red Dog responded, reaching up to silence his radio manually. "I'm going offline, send reinforcements to my last location and I'll meet them there."

"But you lost-"

The sweet click of the receiver ensured silence as he pulled the bulky radio communicator from his back. He shrugged it to the ground with a sigh, dragging it out of sight behind a nearby dumpster.

"I really hate group work." Red Dog grumbled, looking around for a good place to hide and wait for reinforcements.

The empty street was silent as Red Dog allowed his hands to sharpen into claws. After a few failed attempts at climbing the building, his fingers dug into the brick wall and he was able to haul himself onto the roof.

He hunched over, gasping for air. "This is why foxes don't climb."

A quick survey of the roof revealed that he was alone and he settled down near the edge, close enough that he could peer onto the street if he so desired.

(He really didn't though.)

The reinforcements would arrive soon enough and they'd help him catch the little rat.

Until then, he had some time to plan.

It wasn't long until soft snores echoed across the rooftop, but anyone who may have heard dismissed the sound easily enough.

It really is a shame reinforcements arrive quickly.

The roof jolted under Red Dog and he jumped up, alert within seconds.

A large bird had hit the roof beside him and was croaking in annoyance.

"I'd say that's your best landing this month." Red Dog commented, "Why did they send you of all people? You can't even fly!"

"Watch it, dog boy!" The bird hissed, standing up as its features slowly began to morph into a more human facade. "You try weighing over two hundred pounds and then you try to fly."

Red Dog chuckled, "Is that a challenge, chicken?"

He leapt to the ground, bracing his legs for the impact and walking towards the radio.

He flipped the switch as the bird glided to the ground, "Checking in?"

"I'm calling in that you've arrived then leaving it here." Red Dog responded.

The bird opened his beak - though it was beginning to look more like a mouth - to respond, "That's against-"

Red Dog held up one hand as he responded, "This is Red Dog calling in. I'm on the trail of the Promised One and War Bird has just joined me."

"So he arrived okay? Good, now-"

Red Dog cut off the transmission with a smirk, "I love doing that."

War Bird looked horrified, "What if they had something important to say?"

"I highly doubt it."

War Bird looked ready to argue but Red Dog shook his head.

"The Promised One's scent is strong, but it's beginning to fade. We need to move now." He lifted his nose slightly, "I lost it earlier, but the wind's changed in our favor."

War Bird smiled, "Let's go write history."

Red Dog clapped, "That's poetic! Now shut up, I can't concentrate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I should thank my beta back in 2014, Shocotate who beta'ed this and undeadmonkey8 who helped later on.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Chapter 10**

* * *

Chapter 10:

"You killed him, didn't you?"

Selim glanced up, a trowel in his hand as he dug at the area surrounding a seal. Elysia had been astounded at the number of entrances there had been to this underground hideout, but Selim seemed unfazed as he kept finding different ones.

This one was situated in one of Central's parks, cleverly hidden in a picturesque patch of brush where no one would question the indention in the ground. The military had found it and covered it like all the others, but Selim was determined to dig it up, claiming this seal was weaker than the rest.

The shadows continued digging at the shallow hole he had dug as he frowned, "Killed who?" Pride asked. "The gardener?" He waved the shovel slightly, "I just stole this from him - the fool left the shed unlocked."

Elysia shook her head, "William! That figure, it looked like your shadows..."

Selim seemed offended, his eyes beginning to water.

(The human side of him was winning again.)

"William was my friend too! I would never have harmed him!"

"Before I would've actually believed you, but now - "

Pride held his hands up, his whole demeanor turning defensive, "Believe what you will! See if your foolish human ideas will bother me!"

He returned to shoveling, muttering an "Ah-ha!" as the shovel slid under the seal he had been digging up.

With the shovel as a lever and his shadows creeping under the seal, he was able to pry it up with some effort. He peered in as soil rained down into the tunnel.

Elysia scoffed, "You're insane if you're actually thinking of going in there! The military will find you!"

Pride shook his head, "It'll be more of a disadvantage to them. I know the terrain down there, and I know places that they will never discover."

He sounded so certain about it, as if he truly believed that he would never be captured. Elysia felt a cold chill race down her spine, they would never find her either.

A shadow wrapped around her ankle and Elysia shrieked in fear, Selim lifted the lantern he had commandeered for his mission and smirked. "Ladies first."

The shadows dragged her screaming down into the hole as Selim leapt in behind her.

* * *

A scream tore through the air as Red Dog and War Bird entered the park.

"There!" Red Dog howled, chasing off after it.

The two tore through the trees and bushes blocking their path as they charged into the clearing where the entrance was located.

War Bird frowned, "What happened here?"

Red Dog bounded over to the opening, his eyes shining with success. "Homunculus? Are you down there?"

A light bobbed into view with a nervous young girl in a tattered green dress holding it.

Red Dog frowned.

(This was the creature that was going to be their salvation?)

He didn't notice the shadows wrapped around her mouth in an effective gag until it was far too late.

The shadows released her and she dropped to her knees, a man stepping out from behind her and picking up the lantern.

"Thank you for holding that for me, Elysia." His voice echoed eerily, sounding like the dying ring of a hollow bell.

Red Dog's instincts screamed at him to run.

The boy grinned at them, showing off a sharp-toothed smile. He straightened his ragged tie and viewed the two chimeras before him. "You called?"

War Bird grabbed his friend's shoulder in terror, "This can't be him, Red Dog. This can't be - "

The man cocked his head, the light illuminating him more properly now as he climbed out of the hole. His mauve eyes glinted wickedly in the light, his tattered suit making him reminiscent of a corpse. "Can't be who?" He chuckled darkly, "Did you not call for me?" He spread his arms wide, "I can easily assure you that no more of my siblings remain."

Red Dog straightened, this was the Promised One. He had to help them. He had to have some semblance of honor!

"Yes, we are the ones who helped awaken you." Red Dog said proudly, "We staged the chimera attacks throughout Central in an attempt to awaken you. When that didn't work, we refused to give up and staged the attack of your dance."

War Bird nodded quickly, "We thought you would appreciate all the effort we went through to help you out-"

Red Dog drove his elbow quickly into the rambling bird's gut. "What he means to say is, we need your help to overthrow the current government." He stuttered slightly under Pride's uninterested gaze, it was like a cat eyeing a mouse. "We would install you as the head with our leader by your side-"

Pride held up a hand, "Are you insinuating that I could not do that on my own?"

Red Dog was quickly coming to the conclusion that this guy, Promised One or not, was a total ass. "Not at all, just with our help-"

"Why would I need your help?" Pride growled, his anger bubbling to the surface yet again.

War Bird shook his head, "We don't need him, Red Dog. This guy's too wrapped up in himself to admit that he'll die on his own."

Elysia saw it coming before they did. "No!" She screamed right as a shadow cut through War Bird's arm, the severed limb beginning to bleed profusely.

The shadows wasted no time in devouring the limb as Pride lowered his arm. "Would you like to repeat that?"

Red Dog looked at his friend in horror, "You monster!" He screamed,  
"We're on your side!"

Pride laughed, "Why would I work with beings as lowly as you?" He sniffed, "Chimeras, disgusting."

"Watch it, you damn fossil!" Red Dog howled, "If it wasn't for us then you'd still be a disillusioned little mommy's boy!"

Pride's eyes narrowed in rage and a sadistic grin spread across his face. He ignored Elysia's pleas to stop as he advanced on the two chimeras. "You may be useful to me after all..."

Red Dog frowned, "What are you going on about, you freak? Why don't you just-"

He never finished as a shadow speared him through the bottom of his jaw, making the body hang grotesquely in the air.

Elysia's cries of terror were tearing holes in Selim's human heart, but he ignored it as the shadows tore the fox chimera to pieces and devoured him.

A red light flickered across Pride's face, his eyes almost glowing as a minor fraction of his former strength returned. "That's just one..." He grinned even wider. "Imagine the power with two!"

The shadows flared around War Bird, tears flowing down his face as he remained mute in sheer terror.

Pride smirked, "I can't have you telling anyone where you found me, that would ruin all of my plans..." He cocked his head in mock thought, "Oh, I know!" He was almost bursting with a childish glee, "How about I blind you?"

The shadows wasted no time in carrying out his wishes.

War Bird finally broke his silence, screaming as he clutched at his bloodied eye sockets with his remaining hand. "What sort of beast are you?"

Pride approached War Bird and knelt down, smirking as he inspected his handiwork. Tilting War Bird's face up to his, he answered, "I am Pride the Arrogant, the first and last of the Homunculi."

He stood up, ignoring the blood that now stained his suit and hands. "Tell your leaders that I am not interested in their proposal and if you tell anyone where you found me, I will not hesitate to eat you. I'm always hungry."

Elysia was still sobbing as the husk of her best friend lead her deeper into the tunnels, sealing them in with a flick of his wrist and cutting them off from the maimed chimera.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Chapter 11**

* * *

Chapter 11:

The leader paced back and forth across his small platform, the normal chalkboard and podium had been replaced with a large chair in an attempt to make the whole area slightly more presentable to their homunculus.

It was taking too long though. Red Dog and War Bird had been gone for hours, and the other search parties had found no sign of the homunculus or the two trackers.

(Something was terribly wrong, he could feel it.)

Ignoring his animal instincts was normally easy for him, but right now they were screaming at him to listen.

(He needed to run, he needed to hide. The monster they have unleashed will show them no mercy.)

He straightened the collar of his black coat and turned to the assembled audience, "Any sign of them yet?"

A man in the far corner surrounded by a mess of antennas and wires replied, "Lone Wolf has got War Bird's scent and is following it now."

"Tell him to report in immediately." The leader scratched his head, he couldn't think straight.

(What was he forgetting?)

"Oh! Also, someone find Red Dog's damned communicator! He probably didn't scramble it when he abandoned it and we can't have the military finding our station!"

Two voices replied in unison, "Yes, sir."

The leader glanced at the two men dressed similarly in black suits, one with a fedora and the other in sunglasses. "Well don't just stand there, go get it!"

The two scrambled out as the leader collapsed onto his makeshift throne with a sigh. Just this one little hitch in the plan, then he could sit on a real throne.

* * *

Elysia tried not to flinch every time Selim's hand lightly brushed her shoulder, indicating the direction she should go in the darkened tunnels.

She had long since identified the sharp scent coming off the Homunculus - blood. She shuddered to think of how much of must be coating him.

The lantern in her hand, the one Pride hadn't bothered to take back yet, enhanced the shadows, making them dance with the flicker of the flame.

(Or maybe Pride was manipulating them.)

She sincerely hoped it was the first option as he said, "Stop."

She felt her heart stutter in terror as she turned to face him.

(Had she outlived her usefulness? Was he about to-)

Selim was using his normal expression, but his eyes were still wrong. That cold glint there made him seem more menacing. "There's an antechamber off of this tunnel that will lead to the main cavern. I want you to stay there will I examine the room." He glanced about the darkness warily, "I'll take the lantern too, just scream if anything happens. There used to be chimeras guarding that chamber. I think that those fools from earlier probably have the surviving ones under their control, but if there are any more then..." He trailed off dramatically, grinning wickedly, "They're probably starving."

(He was trying to scare her, there were no chimeras left down here. There were no chimeras...)

A slithering hiss came from behind Pride right as he was reaching for the lantern.

Elysia screamed, backing up rapidly and falling to the ground. The lantern flew out of her hands with a loud crash as it shattered on the ground, effectively extinguishing the light.

The last thing she saw when the world fell to darkness was Pride's face frozen in terror.

* * *

War Bird couldn't see.

He was stumbling blindly through Central.

He didn't know where though and, from the scent, his best guess was some street. He only hoped that the extra trackers dispatched would find him soon.

His foot smashed into the curb on the side of the street.

(He had been walking down the middle of the street?)

A yelp tore out of his throat as he flung his arms out to halt his descent.

His phantom limb responded nicely, but in the end, it was still just a phantom. His remaining hand hit the concrete and then his stump of his arm. His cry of surprise turned to anguish as he cradled the stump.

The whole world was cold, tears - or blood - streamed down his face. His stump was oozing through his fingers, and some vague part of his mind acknowledged the fact that he was bleeding to death.

A startled cry reached his ears, "I found him!"

He felt hands clamp onto his shoulders and a gasp leave the man who was standing before him. "What happened to you?"

War Bird shook his head, ignoring the shooting pains in his skull at the movement. "I found him..."

"The Promised One? You found him?" The voice sounded astonished, then terrified. "Did he do this to you?"

War Bird chuckled harshly, some fluid was sliding out of the corner of his mouth. "Pride will be our downfall."

His brain was feeling numb, his ears were ringing.

Someone was shaking him, a fuzzy voice was reaching his ears but he couldn't quite decipher the words.

The veil of black surrounding him was almost warm now.

Maybe he should rest now, he could worry about everything later.

He did his part. The message was delivered.

(Truth have mercy on our souls.)

* * *

It didn't take Elysia long to realize why Selim was so afraid of the dark.

If you didn't have light, you didn't have shadows. Pride's powers were based in shadow, if he couldn't access his shadow, he was powerless.

Any other time and Elysia would've been running away as fast as she could and jumping for joy, but there were two problems with doing that right now.

One was that Selim knew the way out.

Two was the giant chimera - she guessed, there was no way to see it - that was stalking them.

She screamed as a hand grabbed her shoulder, but stopped when another wrapped around her mouth and pulled her close.

"Quiet." Selim hissed, his voice normal without any shadows to echo him. "I need you to light a match right now."

Elysia nodded mutely, fumbling in with the matchbox. Her hands were shaking like a leaf as she pulled out a match.

"Light it, Elysia." His voice was urgent and panicked.

"Don't you have some matches?" She snapped.

"Apparently this cheap suit has holes for pockets."

Her fingers felt numb in the freezing tunnel, the darkness was shifting around her.

(Was her vision dancing?)

She couldn't be sure, she couldn't see.

Pride growled in anger and shoved her to the ground right as a loud hiss echoed from where she had been standing.

(It tried to attack her.)

"Get that match lit, now!"

So he was still capable of making the scary voice after all. She found herself musing on how that was possible, were the shadows more than just a power of his?

A roar rattled the tunnel.

"Elysia! Match! Now!" Pride howled, "If you want to live, light that match now!"

She groped about the blackness on the floor, "I dropped them when you pushed me!" She complained, her heart racing as she felt dread settle over her.

Pride didn't respond. Instead, a bright red light filled the tunnel.

It was like a lightning strike underground, temporarily lighting everything in a strobe effect from the multiple flashes.

Selim had the snake chimera's fangs in his chest.

(He was going to die - he couldn't survive that.)

His face set in a mixture of pain and triumph, highlighted by the flashes of light. He shoved the snake off of him, the shadows swelling around his feet in fits and starts from the inconsistent lighting.

They swirled around the snake chimera, and then it was gone.

The light increased as the holes in Pride's chest closed, only two jagged rips in his suit remained as a sign that the wounds were even there.

The light faded right as he hit the ground with a thud.

Elysia almost cried in relief as she found the matches, quickly lighting one and grabbing the candle. She ignited the wick and raced over to Selim.

He was curled up in a ball on the floor groaning in pain, "That took two souls to recover from."

Elysia almost recoiled at his words, remembering what she had read in the file on him. He was powered by a stone full of souls, and he had used two of them.

(Wasn't the stone empty though?)

The face of the unnamed chimera that he had eaten flashed across her mind. There's one soul.

The snake chimera had vanished, most likely also devoured. That's two souls total then.

"I should take yours to replace them." Pride commented, attempting to hide his weakness as he struggled to his feet.

(It shouldn't have taken that many souls to recover from that wound. What was wrong with his stone?)

Elysia frowned, ignoring the shaking of her legs as she responded. "No, because if you hurt me, then I'll kill the candle."

Selim's eyes widened fractionally as he realized the power she currently held over him.

Elysia ignored the pain of the hot wax pooling in her palm, "You don't like it when you don't have all the cards in your hand, do you?"

"Give me the candle."

"No!"

Selim glanced at her hand and smirked, "I can smell your skin burning. Give me the candle."

"How can I trust that you won't kill me?" Elysia countered, the pain in her hand was blistering.

She shifted the candle to her uninjured hand and wiped off the molten wax on her dress.

A shadow wrapped around her scorched hand.

She stifled a scream as the freezing shadow soothed the heat from her hand. It felt weird; the shadow was insubstantial, yet solid.

Selim tightened the shadow's hold on her hand as he approached and wrenched the candle out of her palm, "I haven't killed you yet." He explained smoothly, "I have use for you still, I give my word that I will not allow any harm to come to you until you've outlived your usefulness."

"And how will I know when that is?"

Pride's metallic bark of laughter echoed down the tunnel as he walked away, the small flame meagerly lighting his path.

The shadow remained wrapped around her hand and she ran to keep up with him and a small part of her felt grateful. The cold shadow was numbing the throbbing pain in her palm.

(Maybe he still did care?)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Chapter 12**

* * *

Chapter 12:

The leader frowned at the men in front of him.

The fedora brother's suit was coated in War Bird's blood, with the featherbrained chimera held tightly in his grasp.

The sunglasses brother was holding Red Dog's radio pack.

"So they're both dead?" The leader questioned, a pang of disappointment going through him. Red Dog and War Bird were a good team, the best trackers in his group.

"We couldn't find Red Dog's body." Fedora responded, "But I can assume from War Bird's condition that he's dead."

The leader nodded, "And you say the Promised One did this to him?"

Fedora nodded in confirmation while Sunglasses shifted uneasily.

The old man's wheezy laugh filled the room, "Did you get the Homunculus' name? I think I know his name!"

Sunglasses shook his head, "All War Bird said before he died was that pride will be our downfall."

The old man's laugh cut off in a harsh intake of breath, "Are you sure he said that?"

The leader frowned, "Why does this even matter?"

"Pride." The old man coughed deeply, "Of all the seven, of course it would be Pride that survives."

"What does this matter?" The leader roared, "We have our Homunculus! We just need to find him!"

"Pride won't help us." The old man stated grimly. "He would rather die than bend his knee to a human."

"I'm not human." Their leader snarled.

"Anything lesser than him is human in his eyes." The old man retorted. "Chimeras are even lesser than dirt to him - just a tool to be used."

The leader roared, kicking the podium to the ground with a snarl. "This is our only chance! I will have Pride!"

The old man sighed as their hot-headed leader began assembling parties to find the last Homunculus. "What's that old phrase?" He asked the man standing next to him.

"Pride comes before the fall." The man responded grimly.

"We should leave." The old man commented casually, "You might be the only one who sees reason here."

The man smiled regretfully, "I've been standing next to you since the beginning of this, old man. Your ideas are starting to rub off on me."

The old man chuckled, his voice dry and throaty. "When should we go?"

The leader wasn't watching - he was busy corralling groups together.

"Now is a good a time as any." The man commented.

The old man nodded, "Then let's not waste any time. Leave these fools to their deaths."

The two slipped out on a back tunnel, both lost in their own thoughts on how they would escape from this.

(Nothing is ended by simply walking away.)

* * *

Mustang was having none of the captain's excuses at the moment.

"What do you mean that there's no trace of them?" He thundered, pounding his desk with a snarl.

The short captain standing in the room flinched, stammering for a response.

Hawkeye groaned from her station near the door. "Sir, your temper."

"Right, I apologize, captain." Mustang took a deep breath. "Just keep searching for them."

The captain nodded and scrambled out of the room as quickly as he could without being rude.

Mustang had taken Mrs. Bradley and Gracia Hughes back with him to his office as he and Hawkeye headed the search for the two missing teens.

Well, one missing teen and one missing homunculus.

Mrs. Bradley was still refusing to admit that anything had happened to Selim.

The phone rang on Mustang's desk and Hawkeye answered it before the enraged Fuehrer could.

"Yes." She answered swiftly.

A flash of panic crossed her face, "Of course." She nodded, "Yes... I'll tell him."

She hung up the phone, a rare look of fear on her face.

"Who was that?"

Hawkeye sighed, closing her eyes as she composed herself, "That was Dr. Knox. He said the wounds on the bodies are as we suspected."

"A thin blade or..."

"A thin blade of unknown substance." Hawkeye confirmed grimly.

"Damn it!" Mustang yelled, shoving another pile of papers to the ground, "Shadows! He can use the damned shadows again!"

"Sir, pushing those papers off the table doesn't help anything."

"It makes me feel better," Mustang snarled, standing up and pacing the room. "Double the searches. Have them check all of the seals to the homunculi's caverns."

Hawkeye nodded, "Do you think he'd try to flee there?"

Mustang nodded, "He might be powerless in the dark but if he gets a lantern and enough candles and matches, we'll never find them."

He ignored the sound of Gracia Hughes' sobs and the burn of Mrs. Bradley's stubborn glare.

Gracia was already breaking down and she didn't even know half of the problem.

* * *

The large crack ran through the seal above them, electing a loud laugh from Pride. "Human error, it really is so useful at times."

Elysia didn't respond as he leaned forward to observe the seal.

(Why won't he use the shadows?)

He backed up and rammed the concrete with his shoulder, breaking open the crumbling seal and bashing through the rotten wood of the door.

Pride clambered out first, taking time to avoid the jagged edges of wood.

"Back up," he warned, kicking away the remaining wood in the hole as he knelt above it.

Elysia proceeded to climb through, holding her dress in one hand as she struggled not to slip.

Pride sighed heavily, "Stay there." He leaned down, holding out a hand to her. Elysia stared at his hand like it was a snake. "I'm not going to kill you yet." He reminded her.

Elysia bit her tongue to avoid making a sarcastic remark as she ignored his hand and continued climbing up.

Selim grabbed her arms and pulled her the rest of the way up, much to her annoyance.

He ignored Elysia's questioning look, "We've got a train to catch and you look awful." He almost smiled - the ghost of his normal playful smile and not the cold, sadistic one.

"You're going to get caught the second you walk out in public, you know that, right?" She scoffed at his plan.

He looked down at his blood-soaked suit, "I think you overestimate human intellect."

* * *

"We have a visual on Fifth Street." The voice reported over the crackle of radio static.

"Do we have a destination?"

"My best guess is the train station."

The leader nodded slowly at the report, "Send Delta Squad to intercept."

"Point of interception?"

"The train station, you fool!" The leader snarled, "We need to bottle them up, what better place than a train station?"

The radio transmitter nodded, "Of course, sir."

The leader sighed, "Why must nothing go according to plan?"

* * *

Elysia desperately tried to ignore the gnawing pain in her stomach; it had been hours since she had last ate. Not to mention that it was already well into the morning and she hadn't slept at all.

It was only natural that she would stumble occasionally due to blackouts in her vision.

Pride wouldn't let her rest though, even conceding to let her put one arm around him so they could continue at a fast pace.

That didn't mean he would stop complaining about it though, "Humans are so pathetic." Or, "I don't need to sleep or eat for days." Or, and this was her personal favorite, "If you're dying, it's not my fault."

She wasn't in the mood to humor his pathetic jibes at humanity at the moment though, it was more important to stay awake.

When they reached the train station, Selim promptly dumped her on the nearest bench and settled down next to her.

"We're being followed." He was glancing around rapidly, inhaling deeply, "Chimeras, five of them." He looked behind him, "I can't tell where they're coming from though-"

A bullet struck him through the forehead, scattering the small crowd of early morning commuters like a group of ducks in a hunting field.

Elysia stifled a scream as claws brushed against her throat, "Stand up slowly."

Selim was howling in fury, bright red sparks lighting his face eerily.

Elysia listened to the voice, "Selim, are you-"

The claws pressed deeper into her throat, drawing blood. "Listen closely, Pride!" Her captor snarled, "We helped you! So now you should be honor bound to help us!" The claws pressed deeper into her neck, "Creatures like you have no honor though, so we'll have to cooperate the hard way."

Pride finally sat up; the spot on his head crackling with small sparks now. "How do you intend to do that?" He asked calmly, the metallic echo present in his voice.

The chimera holding her froze, "What do you mean? I'm holding your girlfriend hostage..."

Pride released a short bark of laughter, "You mean you've taken my hostage hostage?" He grinned brightly, but it was obviously false. "So, are you going to introduce me to your friends, mister?" The child act on him wasn't the same as it used to be.

Pride was almost next to the chimera holding Elysia now, grinning innocently.

(He was planning something, what was he up to?)

The chimera scoffed, "No hiding anything from you, is there? You'll be a good ally."

He nodded slightly, and four more chimeras abandoned their hiding spots and walked forward.

The first started to introduce himself, "I'm-"

Pride frowned, "I don't care." He shrugged, "You'll all be dead in a few minutes anyway."

The chimera froze, and then laughed. "Do you think that we don't have a backup plan?"

At Pride's bored expression, the chimera continued, "If we don't report back to the boss within one day, your mother will die."

(He ignored the pang in his heart and the lump in his throat. She'd be fine; they'd never get through him.)

"Then I suppose another useless human will die in this pathetic game of yours." Pride commented, ignoring the pain in his chest.

The chimera's claws began to tear into Elysia's throat, but he didn't get very far. The shadows swarmed around him as Pride inhaled deeply. "I certainly feel better now."

Another chimera, the one who had tried to introduce himself, began to transform. "You bastard!" He roared, a pair of tusks jutting from his jaw. "I'll rip you to-"

Pride didn't let him finish as the shadows devoured him, then the next chimera.

One chimera took off in a full sprint, changing as he ran into his deer form as he leapt agilely over the benches.

A swarm of shadows surged after the deer as Pride crossed his arms. A smug grin grew on his face as the shadows closed in.

Suddenly, he felt a huge pain blossom in his gut and he doubled over. The shadows sprang back to him like an elastic cord, why couldn't he extend them further?

Pride felt the sting of defeat in his chest as the deer chimera escaped. A flash of fury entered him at the indignation that the escapee showed as he turned to the last chimera.

He ignored Elysia's horrified gaze as the shadows advanced on the petrified chimera. He was careful to move with the shadows this time, ignoring the soreness he felt from the recoil.

The chimera, oblivious to Pride's weakness, began to sob pathetically.

Pride scoffed at the sight, ignoring the guilt he felt as the shadows swirled around the creature. Elysia gasped as they struck, devouring the chimera in one gulp.

Selim sighed and lowered himself to the ground next to Elysia, he glanced at her quickly, but long enough for her to notice the worry in his cold gaze. "Are you alright?"

Elysia coughed, holding one hand protectively over the cut on her throat. "I don't know, let's look at everything that's happened so far and then ask me that again."

Selim remained silent as he drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them.

It was almost comical, the sight of the almost four-hundred year old homunculus sitting placidly next to a human.

"I just..." Pride slapped the ground in a flash of anger, "I don't know what to do anymore!" He rose to his feet, pacing angrily, "I spent all of my life obeying Father. Kill this, guard that." He stopped, deflating as he looked down at the ground. He looked defeated, "Father's dead now though, so what am I supposed to do?"

Elysia didn't have an answer for him as he once again returned to sitting next to her.

"I don't know what I'm doing..." He mumbled, twirling the shadows around his fingers.

In that moment, Elysia almost didn't see an ancient monster in the guise of a boy sitting next to her, she saw her best friend.

It only lasted an instant though, and she simply huffed, "Don't you have to protect your mother now? Or do you not care about that either?"

Pride's head shot up, eyes narrowed, "Those idiotic chimeras don't even know who my mother is! They couldn't..."

"It wouldn't be hard to figure out," she shrugged.

Selim looked at her, then at the exit to the station. He scanned the area before nodding, "Come on."

He dragged her to her feet, walking towards a pillar in the opposite direction of the exit. A medical kit was attached to the pillar with a label that read 'For Emergency Use Only.'

Pride scoffed, "I feel that this classifies as an emergency."

He broke it open with one pull and pulled out some gauze and antiseptic.

At Elysia's questioning gaze, he glared at her. "I can't have you dying if my plan is to succeed."

He looked at the antiseptic curiously before just splashing it on her wound. He ignored her pained cry and wiped away the bubbling foam with the gauze, holding it to her neck. "Hold that."

He grabbed the tape as she responded and quickly wrapped it on her neck.

Pride looked smugly at his handiwork, "That should hold until you get to a hospital."

Elysia frowned; the sleepiness had to be getting to her head.

(He letting her go?)

"What?" Selim's grin - his grin, not Pride's sadistic mockery of one - twisted across his face for a split second. "Go, Elysia. You're only slowing me down." He huffed, "Besides, Mustang won't let anyone get to you."

The sounds of sirens outside made her freeze as Selim gave her a nod, then the shadows twirled around him and he was gone.

Elysia was still standing there in shock, holding the gauze to her neck, when the military rushed in, quickly spotting her and taking her off into their cars.

The captain of that mission would later tell a grand hyperbole of a shadowy dragon that he fought off with only the bayonet on his rifle to save a beautiful damsel in distress.

* * *

Roy Mustang was a rather overbearing father figure at the best of times. Now, as he was checking his surrogate daughter for any harm besides exhaustion, hunger, and the nasty scratches on her throat, he was unbearable.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, bringing a third blanket for her.

Elysia nodded sleepily, "Can I sleep now?"

Hawkeye had even brought her a change of clothes, so the girl was now in a clean outfit fighting off sleep.

It also didn't help that the couch in Mustang's office was the plushest, most luxurious couch that money could buy.

Mustang nodded, "In a few minutes, just tell me what happened! Why did he kill all of those people?"

Elysia felt tears prick at her eyes; she was never going to forget the looks of terror on those chimeras' faces. "I think he was protecting me... Or just hungry..."

Mustang frowned, "Protecting you?" Worried thoughts of Stockholm syndrome whipped through his head. "Why would he need to protect you from your classmates?"

"My classmates?" Elysia frowned, "He didn't kill any humans - that I'm aware of."

Mustang froze, "What do you mean by that?"

"He killed five chimeras - no, maybe six..."

"Chimeras are illegal, you can't make them anymore." Mustang said immediately, horrified thoughts rushing through his head.

Elysia shook her head, "There's a rebel group of chimeras, and they're the ones who killed the kids at the dance." The tears in her eyes almost fell out at the thought of William. "They woke up Pride; they wanted him to help overthrow you."

Mustang frowned, "He's not working with them?"

Elysia shook her head, "They threatened me and his mother, and he..."

(A severed limb twitching at her feet.)

She could still hear their screams, and Pride's laughter.

(Blood flying through the air in a fine spray.)

She felt sick. "He ate them for it..."

Mustang frowned; it sounded like Pride was confused, maybe even disoriented. "Where was he going next?"

Elysia shook her head; she couldn't hold the tears back anymore.

Mustang's eyes softened at the sight, "Go to sleep, Elysia. I can handle this. Just, if he does come back for you, act like nothing is wrong; he won't hurt you if you act like his friend." He stood up, ignoring the doubtful voice in his head.

"Wait!" She shot up, desperately fighting sleep. "Don't try to attack him, he's not weakened anymore. He's dangerous."

Mustang nodded, ignoring the guilt that swept through him at the thought of Mrs. Bradley's reaction when all of this was over.

(Sometimes, people can't change.)

Change, especially in a monster like Pride, just seemed too far-fetched for him to accept.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Chapter 13**

* * *

Chapter 13:

The shadows coiled in the corner of the room, depositing a figure onto the ground. The man growled and he raised himself to his feet.

Pride never did like shadow travel. Basically, he devoured his vessel with his shadows and spat it out somewhere else. So, along with its revolting nature, he came out smelling like blood too.

He could worry about the smell later though. Right now, he had to make sure his mother was okay.

As far as plans go, this one was pretty simple. Unfortunately, it was also a perfect place for him to be ambushed, but Selim was feeling optimistic that his good deed in releasing Elysia would be recognized.

(All he could smell was blood; it would be child's play for someone to sneak up on him right now.)

His shadows had dumped him out in his bedroom, the mock transmutation circles on his desk and collection of antique pistols hanging on the wall made him feel at peace. This was his home-

(No, it wasn't!)

His home was the subterranean tunnels under Central, just as it had been for hundreds of years.

(Was it really though?)

There's a difference between a shelter and a home. His time as a human had taught him that.

Could his place with the homunculi really have been considered a home? Where no one cared for him, or thought twice if something happened to him?

He was confused to say the least. The two personalities in him were still at war for supremacy, but it almost seemed like they were coming to a draw. He wasn't Selim, but he also wasn't Pride either.

(These thoughts are ridiculous, there's no need for them.)

(Or is there?)

One thing was for certain though, Mother could help him. She always could. Even when he was fully Pride at the height of his power, she was there for him.

Another thought crossed his mind, if she raised him after the Promised Day, does that mean she was aware of his true nature?

(Then why did she raise him?)

He tricked her! He deceived her into thinking he was her son and that he loved her.

(He did love her though, didn't he? That part wasn't a lie, was it?)

He sat down on the edge of his bed with a heavy sigh, everything was so confusing. He didn't want to admit defeat, but he would love to just go back to the way life had been before the dance.

He almost laughed, not noticing the door opening. Pride the Arrogant, admitting a longing for the simple life of a human. He truly was pathetic.

A startled gasp met his ears and he looked up.

Mother was standing in the doorway, her aged face displaying a range of emotions: shock, happiness, worry, and fear.

The last one drove a stake through his weakened walls, and he ran to her. His suit was tattered, he was covered in blood and exhausted, but he didn't care. Everything was happening too fast and he didn't know who he could trust, except he knew that he could count on his mother.

Selim grabbed her in a hug and collapsed into a sobbing wreck, "I don't understand what's going on."

(Only half of his heart seemed secure in the events that were happening - he was torn between two worlds with no one to turn to. Except for his mother.)

Mrs. Bradley was frozen, Mustang's words echoed in her head about how dangerous Selim was. Seeing him like this though, she knew he would never harm her.

(He had acted before though, didn't he?)

She returned the hug wholeheartedly, "It's okay. We can figure this out."

He shook his head, "I don't think we can. I can't even figure it out!" He sobbed, "Why can't I just be left alone?" He hugged her even harder, not noticing the shadows responding to his emotions. They always did that if he wasn't watching them, but they would never harm his mother. They were just curling around his feet like gentle waves. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I don't care! Everything I worked for is gone, so why should I still be alive?"

Mrs. Bradley released him in shock, "Selim..."

"That's not even my name!" He exclaimed, he looked at her face, waiting to see the fear return. "I'm Pride! I'm not human, I've never been human." Her face remained creased with only worry for him. He sighed, "I just don't know what to do anymore." A ragged chuckle broke through, "Edward Elric truly did defeat me. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." He laughed, a broken sound full of pain and sorrow. "This fate may just be worse than death."

Mrs. Bradley, for the first time in her life, was unable to comfort her son.

The military squad outside the door, bracing themselves for battle, weren't about to make matters any better either. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Chapter 14**

* * *

Chapter 14:

The leader hissed in annoyance, "Deserters?"

"Yes, sir, it appears-"

"I don't care what it appears like! I want their heads!" The leader smashed his podium for emphasis. He sighed, taking a deep breath and running a hand down his face. "What of the party sent to retrieve Pride?"

The subordinates glanced around, muttering amongst themselves.

"Well?"

"Only one has returned, sir. He claims that Pride... That..." The subordinate was pale with terror, "He claims that..."

The leader groaned, "Can someone please tell me what happened to them?"

"Pride ate them!" The subordinate yelped, "He ripped them to pieces and devoured them! They were nothing more than a minor nuisance to him."

The leader sighed, "I suppose that would be why we can't find Red Dog..."

He didn't seem particularly phased by the information and shrugged, "I am nothing if not a man of my word." He waved his hand, "Kill his human mother, and I want proof once you have completed the job."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

The door flew open, smashing into the wall with a bang as it barely held onto its hinges.

"Freeze! Selim Bradley, do not move!"

Pride looked up from his seat on the edge of his bed, his mother's hand was resting on his shoulder and he had almost looked at peace.

Now, he looked absolutely murderous.

"Who are you to order me around?" Pride questioned, his eyes flicking back to his mother in fear.

The assault team never noticed that though, men standing behind guns rarely take time to look into the enemies' eyes.

"I said, freeze or we'll shoot!" Another barked.

Their silver shields and visor-ed helmets didn't help to distinguish them as human. To Selim, all he saw was a group of guns pointed unnecessarily at his mother.

He didn't need his enhanced vision to know that their fingers were poised over the triggers, looking for any opportunity to shoot. Even if he tried to go peacefully, they were too wound up to do anything but shoot.

(Why surrender when you'll be shot either way?)

"I don't obey you." Pride snarled, standing to his full height and drawing the shadows around him. "I bow to no one!" He raised his arms, the shadows poising to strike. "Not anymore." He added with a large grin.

The squad looked properly disturbed as one of the silver-helmeted goons yelled, "Fire!"

Selim whipped around, grabbing his mother and placing himself between her and the bullets.

He winced as a few burrowed into the flesh of his back and neck.

The shadows behind him flared up in a shield, the eyes opening to glare at the men.

(Six goons total - two approaching from his right and the rest providing covering fire. Approximate time to neutralization - maybe a minute. With fatalities - less than a few seconds.)

That little idealistic part of him though couldn't help but recoil at the thought of killing a human. Chimeras were different, especially when they had died so he could keep Elysia safe.

(He didn't enjoy it. He didn't enjoy the screams and the tears...)

Besides, if he killed these soldiers, he would be going down a path that he couldn't return from.

The path of a lone homunculus.

(Could he even survive that?)

More bullets thudded into the wall of shadows; his stone was down by one soul already.

His mother whimpered, unable to respond due to her fear.

The first bullet that ricocheted and hit a soldier ended his complacency.

The shadows struck out, flying towards the soldiers.

Several cries of terror reached his ears, but he was nothing if not accurate.

The shadows cut cleanly through the guns, the sound of six barrels hitting the floor met his ears along with the blessed void of silence.

He squeezed his mother and whispered, "It's okay." He released her and returned to his seat on the bed with an exhausted sigh.

Two of the soldiers had fled, leaving four standing there staring at him in terror.

Pride shifted his position, leaning back onto his arms to allow the sparks to continue their healing without him putting pressure on his fractured spine.

(It was taking far too long for him to heal.)

"You really should know better than to fire on an innocent," he gestured to his mother. "If something had happened to her, I wouldn't be able to guarantee any of your lives."

A third soldier turned and fled the room, his metal shield rocking on the floor from where he had dropped it.

He harrumphed, "Cowards, firing when you could've hurt an older woman. Running before your comrades are safe." He brushed his bangs out of his eyes, ignoring the burning pain in his head as the wound there closed. His mark on his forehead had darkened to a deep red, "Humans truly are selfish creatures."

"Selim!" Mrs. Bradley exclaimed in shock, "You can't mean that!"

He nodded slowly, "No, you're right, Mother. I apologize," it was clear the apology was only meant for certain humans. "Most humans are selfish brutes."

"That's not really any better, dear..."

Selim's eyes narrowed, "Why should I lie for their benefit?"

Mrs. Bradley placed her hand back on his shoulder and sighed, "Selim-"

One soldier finally found the courage to speak up, "Selim Bradley-"

"I prefer Pride." Pride interjected bluntly, smirking at the sight of the soldier paling.

"Pride, our Fuehrer has declared you an enemy of the state. As such, you shall not be granted the conventions of a citizen of Amestris and shall be tried directly by the Fuehrer."

Pride hummed quietly, swinging his legs nonchalantly. "I haven't killed or harmed any human since my awakening." He frowned thoughtfully, "I would think the punishment should fit the crime."

Mrs. Bradley tightened her grip on his shoulder, "Don't antagonize them, Selim."

Selim sighed, "I know what I'm doing, Mother."

The soldier was silent before he responded, "I still need to take you in for questioning."

The shadows curled around Selim like black snakes. "How do you intend to make me?"

The shock in the room was clear as another soldier fled the room.

Before anyone else could respond however, Pride was standing and walking out of the door in long-legged strides. "Don't stand there like a bunch of brain-dead fools, I'll need an escort if I'm going to speak to Mustang."

* * *

"Fuehrer Mustang," a soldier stood at attention in the entrance to his office. "We have Selim-"

A voice echoed in from outside the doors, "Pride! Truth, how hard is it for you people to get?"

That didn't sound like the Pride that Mustang used to know, he wasn't even using the shadows to speak. It was just his normal human voice.

The soldier fidgeted nervously, "Should we send him in, sir?"

Mustang frowned, "He's not in custody?"

The soldier scratched the back of his head, shifting his silver helmet to have access to it. "Last time I cuffed him, I turned around and he was rubbing his wrists asking why I even bothered."

Mustang sat down with a thump, "How did you get him to come?"

"Well, truthfully, sir... We didn't... He came on his own accord after we- well..."

"Well?" Mustang prompted, gesturing with his hand for the solider to go on.

"We fired on him and Mrs. Bradley, sir. He didn't take very kindly that..."

"Casualties?" Mustang almost dreaded asking the question.

(How many letters would he be sending out to tearful widows tonight?)

"That's the part I can't figure out, sir. There were no casualties. We do need replacement guns though; he sliced them all in half."

Mustang's jaw fell open and a thunderous exclamation echoed through the room, "What?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Chapter 15**

* * *

Chapter 15:

Pride realized, rather belatedly, that he couldn't kick his legs anymore when he sat in a seat. He frowned slightly, already growing bored now that he couldn't simultaneously intimidate and confuse his enemies with the mundane action.

"Pride, were you even listening to me?" Mustang growled, sitting uncomfortably at his desk.

Selim glanced up, "Did you say something important?"

Mustang growled, "I was just reminding you that I burnt two homunculi to death. It wouldn't be hard to make that three."

A flicker of fear crossed Pride's face before he composed himself again, "You have no basis. I haven't killed any humans since my awakening."

Mustang leaned forward, "What about those five chimeras?"

"Part of an underground organization sponsoring a coup against you." Pride answered swiftly, "You should be thanking me for eating them and not joining them."

Mustang frowned thoughtfully, "Were they the ones who attacked the dance?"

Pride nodded slowly, a look of fury crossing his face. "Those idiotic worms killed one of my..." He trailed off, muttering something under his breath with the shadows flickering around him and curling over his arms like snakes. "I'll see that they pay for what they did."

Mustang was at a loss. Pride was out to destroy an organization opposing the Amestrian government because they killed a human. It didn't make any sense.

He still remembered the look on Pride's face as he forced him to commit human transmutation fourteen years ago. The last thing he had seen for those months that he had been blind was that monster's grin.

"What if I can't let you leave?" Mustang finally asked, placing his elbows on the table as he awaited Pride's response.

Selim grinned innocently, "I wouldn't count on that, sir."

Mustang knew that would be the case. There was still one thing he needed to know though.

"Why did you kidnap Elysia?"

Selim hummed thoughtfully, "I would call it more of a voluntary abduction."

Mustang's eyes narrowed, "A voluntary abduction?"

Pride's expression darkened, "I was saving her from a chimera. It killed the humans and William at the dance. I think it's the leader of that little organization." He subconsciously licked his lips with a wicked grin, "He'll be the last to die."

That was more like the Pride he remembered, but there was still something human in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"Elysia claims that you didn't harm her." Mustang leaned forward, eyes glinting in a challenge. "I really find that hard to believe though..." His hands tightened on the desk, "What did you do to her?"

Selim's eyes darknened, "I did nothing!" He was struggling not to flay open the foolish Fuehrer right now. "The fact that you're even considering that I harmed her-" The shadows surged, whipping around him like an angry cat's tail. "I know what I did in the past and I know what I am capable of." He leaned forward, "But I shall never allow any harm to come to my..." He grit his teeth, "Friends - and you should do well to remember that." He crossed his arms as he leaned back, "I know Elysia is important to you, and you would never harm her." He narrowed his eyes, "I cannot promise the safety of anyone else though."

Mustang was confused to say the least. This was Pride, the homunculus that robbed him of his sight. This was also the same creature that saved Elysia's life though. He was either acting, or he truly had changed - but Mustang still could not release him. Not if he wanted to keep a relatively clear conscience.

(Pride was a great actor before. Was this an act though?)

Pride wasn't the only one who could act though. Mustang cleared his throat, "I... I just wanted to thank you, for keeping her safe."

Pride nodded slowly, eyes glittering with satisfaction. He was born of pride after all; he could indulge in his arrogance every now and then, even if it was obviously false gratitude. "I will never allow any harm to come to her. I've already lost one human that I..." He ducked his head; the sting in his eyes wasn't there. He didn't cry. Damned human emotions messing with his façade, "I will not lose another."

Mustang felt a sting of doubt hit him.

(Was this really just an act?)

* * *

Mustang walked out of his office with a groan.

Hawkeye glanced at him, "Is he being difficult, sir?"

"Quite the contrary," he shook his head. "Go collect Mrs. Bradley; I want to see how he acts around her."

Hawkeye frowned, "He could escape from that room while we're waiting though."

Mustang reached over and flipped a switch on the wall, "The whole room is insulated, as an interrogation room it cannot contain any windows or obvious escape routes. With the lights off, there's nothing that he can do."

Hawkeye nodded slowly, "If you're positive, sir."

She nodded to a few guards as they passed, ignoring the bad feeling she had. Pride had lost the monstrous aura that he had before, but was he really as helpless as Mustang thought?

"I am." Mustang replied, his voice strong with confidence, but a small hint of doubt colored his words. "He's at the power of a normal human without the shadows - it's impossible for him to escape from that room."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Chapter 16**

* * *

Chapter 16:

"Are we really going to do this?" A hushed voice asked.

Another shushed him, "Quiet, you idiot! The boss says we free the guy, so we free the guy!"

The argumentative pair was currently hiding in the air ducts of the Central command office. It was almost too simple for the two to sneak in and climb into the ventilation system.

The idea that this could be a trap had crossed Earth Dog's mind once or twice, but he had forgotten it soon afterward.

(It was like Stripe was always telling him – don't look a gift horse in the mouth.)

"Earth!" His partner, Striped Head, was pointing towards a vent a few feet ahead of them. "He's in there."

The timid badger chimera felt a thrill of fear shoot through him at the sight of the pitch black darkness beyond the vent; this was the dreaded beast that would be their salvation. The Promised One would lead them to victory.

At least, that's what their leader kept ranting on about.

(No one dared to mention that their leader was insane - he had cracked like a damned egg during their years of hibernation.)

After a few minutes of frequent cursing, they were able to remove the vent and enter the room. From the vague silhouettes, the room was windowless with a table with two chairs.

Striped Head growled as he smashed his knee into the table and turned on his flashlight, illuminating the room.

The chair nearest to the door was occupied by a boy, at least seventeen, with messy black hair and a ruined suit from the numerous tears and bloody stains on it.

"Mr. Pride, sir?" Earth Dog squeaked, trying to avoid the cold eyes that had directed their attention to him. "I- um, we were sent to free you." He fidgeted nervously, "But, if you want to stay here then I suppose that's okay too..."

He winced, the shadows seeming to lengthen as Pride stood, surveying them coldly. "I believe I have made my position clear, haven't I?"

Earth Dog nodded frantically, "Yes, sir! Completely, sir!"

Striped Head groaned and held his head, letting Earth Dog do the talking was his worst idea yet.

Pride hummed, "I did use up two souls from my stone earlier, I suppose I could replace those."

Earth Dog knew what was coming; he was going to eat them! It was just like Night Bird had said, he was always hungry.

(At the time he had just thought Night Bird was only trying to scare him, but maybe he was actually warning him!)

A few tears welled up in Earth Dog's eyes, "Please, Mr. Pride! I'm sure we could be of some use to you!"

Pride smirked, "I can most certainly make use of you."

He raised his arm and a shadow followed his command, snaking along the floor and rising up in front of the two chimeras.

An eye burst open to view them, a sharp-toothed grin spreading across its mouth.

Pride's voice echoed metallically, "I'm sure your souls will be of invaluable use in my stone."

Earth Dog's eyes widened, his eyes growing almost comically big. He ran a hand through his white hair and squeaked in terror.

Pride froze - he couldn't do it - but he had to do it! These chimeras were no different from the others!

(His mother's face flashed through his mind, what would she think if she saw him now? He wasn't even protecting a friend now, this was just cold-blooded murder. He never had an issue with that before though!)

The black-haired chimera snarled, his face elongating into a large, striped head - a badger chimera. "I'm not going down without a fight, Pride."

Earth Dog was beside himself with terror, unable to even process words.

(It looked just like William - the wide eyes, the hair...)

The shadows shuddered slightly, his conviction wavering.

Selim lowered his arm, drawing the shadow back to him. "I could have some use for you yet, though..." He trailed off thoughtfully, pretending he hadn't let his emotions get in the way of his plan.

(His head was pounding with the souls' screams.)

Earth Dog almost leapt for joy as he raced forward to embrace Pride.

He stopped short at the glare he received and dissolved into a mess of incoherent blabbering in an attempt to thank Pride.

The homunculus waved it off, "Don't thank me yet, I may still decide to kill you."

The two chimeras fell silent. Earth Dog falling into a state of paralyzing fear and Striped Head simply simmering in his anger.

"Now," the shadows whipped around Pride, too short to reach the hole in the ceiling. A disappointed look crossed his face at the realization, but it was quickly replaced by one of confusion. "Did Mustang really leave such an obvious escape route for me?"

* * *

"Aren't we escaping? Shouldn't we go the other way and not to the Fuehrer's mansion?" Earth Dog whispered, hiding in the bushes behind Selim and Striped Head as they observed the mansion.

The braziers still burned with their unnatural fire, lighting the path which was guarded by at least one whole platoon of Amestrian soldiers.

Striped Head sniffed the air cautiously, "Three, no, four guards at the entrance."

Pride frowned, squinting his eyes. "It's definitely three." He could always see well in the dark. "Then there's a pair of guards on the other side of the building."

"So we've got five guards to avoid?" Earth Dog squeaked nervously.

Selim shook his head, "I have five guards to avoid." He stood up, using his shadows to ensure that he blended into the darkness of the almost moonless night. "You two stay here, or don't." He shrugged, "I really don't care what you do. Your little buddies might kill you for failing to capture me though."

Striped Head chuckled gruffly, "You have our paws tied it seems."

Pride didn't respond, slipping away and darting towards the rear of the mansion.

"I lost him!" Earth Dog squeaked, "I can't see him anymore."

"You won't," Striped Head rumbled, "He's the lord of the shadows, we're in his domain now."

* * *

Elysia froze as she felt something freezing cold slide past her shoulder.

She tried to hide the nervous shake of her hands as she turned around, "Pride, how did you get in here?"

Selim was lounging on her bed casually like he had done so many times before, only this time, instead of a lighthearted grin or tease; he had a predatory smirk gracing his features. "Shadows can pass through glass." He gestured to the now-open window as he stood up and crossed the room to her.

He wrapped a hand around her mouth before she could scream, quietly hushing her. A shadow brushed her hair out of her face as he looked down at her. "Elysia..." He said slowly, savoring the sound of her name on his tongue. "I remember when I used to feel something for you..."

A tear hit his hand, Elysia's eyes widening as his face drawing nearer to hers. Before he got uncomfortably close though, he froze. "I must say though," a wicked grin crossed his face. "I'm starving, my dear Elysia. And you look simply delectable."

A horrified gasp erupted from the captive girl as she began to struggle violently. "Ah, don't think you're escaping that easily." The icy fangs of his shadows brushed against her neck. "It might be fun to let you run away first, though."

He shoved her away; ignoring her screams and sobs for him to stop. "Okay, you obviously don't get the rules." He knelt down and grabbed her chin, wrenching her head to face him. "You run, and I find you." He smiled innocently, "And if you get away, you can live all that much longer."

Elysia didn't need to be told twice as she raced down the halls of the mansion.

(Did these halls get longer? Where was the exit?)

The slow, methodical sound of Selim's - no, Pride's - footsteps filled the hall.

(Selim would never do this to her, he was her friend.)

This wasn't her friend; this was a monster wearing his skin.

She tripped, a yelp escaping her as she scraped up her knees and tore open the skin of her palm. Blood welled up in her hand, dripping onto the ground.

(Drip, drip, drip.)

"Did you hurt yourself?" Pride called, his voice full of false kindness. "I can smell your blood."

He was behind her, grabbing her palm as the shadows swarmed her hand, eagerly lapping up her life force.

Her screams filled the hall as he licked his lips with the expression of a starving man seeing a feast.

The sharp teeth tearing into her hand didn't cease at her screams and pleas for him to stop.

The shadows continued their course, her screams increasing in pitch until her voice cracked, but her whimpers only ceased when there was nothing left to cry out with.

(It was over, she was gone. He had won. There was no salvation. Amestris would burn.)


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Chapter 17**

* * *

Chapter 17:

Pride remained hidden around the back of the building with his back against the brick wall, mentally debating the costs of escaping underground once again. The old entrance inside the mansion should still be intact, but even if it wasn't, he could easily rip it open.

(He was out of options. Escaping Central was out of the question - even getting out of the military compound unnoticed was unlikely. He could use the tunnels to get out onto the main streets and then plan his next move from there. Taking to tunnels too far was risky, he only had one flashlight and the chances of him running into another of the guard chimeras were too high for his liking.)

He peeked into the window near his feet, but quickly withdrew. Mustang and Hawkeye, along with a few soldiers, were talking around a large map placed on the table. He would have to find another way in.

The window above him looked promising, with no signs of movement or light from behind the thin curtains. He used the shadows to dig into the walls, climbing it slowly like a drunken spider.

(His shadows were too weak from the lack of a proper light source.)

After a minute, he reached the windowsill. Compared to his climb, it was child's play to send a thin shadow under the window and unlock it from the inside. He climbed inside the window, closing it carefully behind him as he silently applauded his stealth.

Elysia was curled up on the bed in the center of the room, whimpering slightly as she shifted uncomfortably.

He sighed heavily; luck was truly not on his side.

(Though, when had it ever been?)

Elysia cried out suddenly, shocking him as her screams increased in pitch.

He raced forward and shook her shoulders, he had to wake her before she called anyone up to her with her crying!

Her eyes shot open, and when they finally focused on him, he noticed the tears welling up as she struggled even harder. "No! Please don't! I'll do anything! Please just don't-" She broke off into horrified sobs, still weakly struggling against his hold on her shoulders.

He felt a twinge of sadness at the sight and, before he could catch himself, he grabbed her in a hug, holding her head as he hushed her quietly, "Its fine, Elysia, You're safe."

(As if that were true.)

Elysia's shuddering breaths calmed, she seemed to be distinguishing reality from her dream now.

The screams in his head were almost silent now - he could think clearly.

(They always got worse when he was feeling anything other than pride.)

As Elysia took a deep breath, the screams increased in tempo. "Better now?" He asked lightly, ignoring the sounds of the tortured souls.

(There aren't many souls now... How did manage to stay sane with thousands of them?)

"No..." Elysia hissed, struggling to get free of his grip.

Selim immediately released her, moving away when he realized that she did not want him anywhere near her.

"You still don't even get it, do you?" She snapped angrily, "You're a monster, a freak, an abomination! You ate your own brother! You killed thousands of people!"

"How do you know that?" Selim asked quietly, but his voice was lost in Elysia's increasing volume.

She was still ranting about all the horrible things he had done.

(They just wouldn't shut up!)

Every word sent a nail into his heart, a burning sting of regret accompanying every one of his past actions.

(He couldn't listen to this, she had to stop. They had to stop. He couldn't think!)

"How do you know that?" He repeated, clenching his fists by his side.

Elysia heard him that time, "I read it all!" She released a scornful laugh, "Roy has a whole file on you; I stole it so I could read it."

Betrayal stabbed at his heart, he could have recovered his memories sooner - and without the needless bloodshed. "You didn't tell me about it?"

Elysia snorted, "I thought it was fake, I thought, that can't be real. That isn't anything like Selim!" She smashed the heel of her palm into the bed. "I was so wrong. I was so damned wrong!" She looked up at him, "So was it all an act? Our friendship?"

"No!" Selim shouted then grabbed his head, "No... I- I don't know..."

Elysia almost burst out into hysterical laughter, "So what is real then? Do you even know who the hell you really are?"

Something snapped in him, he knew who he was. The shadows swarmed around him in tune with his anger. He drew himself up higher as his voice took on its inhuman tone, "I am Pride, the last of the homunculus. I was," he grit his teeth, "Defeated on the Promised Day fourteen years ago and was spared by an alchemist who balked at taking a life, no matter how deserving of death the being was." Pride was shaking with pent up anger, "I may not understand what's left of my life, but I do know who I am!"

Elysia sighed sadly, "But is that really who you are?"

Selim's eyes widened, "What-"

He grabbed his head, the screams were too much. His mind kept flipping back and forth between his memories of his life as Pride and his short life as Selim Bradley.

(Who was he?)

The sound of people pounding on the door reached his ears and the door flew open with a splintering crash.

General Hawkeye rushed into the room, only pausing to take stock of the situation before unloading the whole clip of her gun at Selim.

(A man shrouded in bloodthirsty shadows standing before a young girl's bed in her room at night. Hawkeye only reacted as was natural.)

The general could only focus on how wrong Mustang had been in letting Selim escape and how lucky she was to have saved Elysia in time.

Selim looked up, fear shining in his eyes as guns were once again being fired at him while someone he cared for stood close-by.

(She would be fine though, it's Hawkeye - the greatest markswoman Amestris has ever seen.)

Every bullet hit its mark with astonishing accuracy, ripping through Pride's chest with remarkable precision.

However, the soldiers that soon piled in behind her where a different story as they began to pepper the room erratically with bullets.

(Why does Mustang continue to allow these fools to carry guns?)

Selim only needed Hawkeye's terrified gaze to settle on Elysia for him to realize the course of action that he needed to take.

He dashed over to Elysia, not stopping at her terrified yelp as he shoved her back onto her previous seat on the bed. The shadows swarmed up around him, shielding them both from the bullets.

(He had learned a bit about being a living shield since the last time he stood between bullets and a fragile human.)

Elysia struggled under his grip but he quickly shook her, asking through gritted teeth, "Do you want to die?"

His voice still held that inhuman echo, but she didn't struggle again.

(He hated how warm humans were - the blood coursing through their veins, their hot breath, they radiated heat like a persistent flame.)

The bullets stopped, Hawkeye was yelling orders as she moved towards his shield.

(He was so tired...)

Releasing Elysia's shoulders, he sat down on the bed with a huff, staring up at the ceiling.

"Was all of that really necessary, General?" He asked, the shadows echoing him eerily.

Hawkeye ignored him as she asked Elysia if she was okay.

"I'm fine too. Just deflected some bullets," Selim huffed. "All in a day's work."

Elysia slapped him, hard. "You damn bastard, what is wrong with you?"

(Roy had told her to pretend to be his friend, but how could she?)

Hawkeye was paralyzed in shock but, to her surprise, Pride just laughed.

"Nothing that I'm aware of currently." He chuckled, his laughter increasing in pitch. "Truthfully, in all my years, no human has ever dared to slap me." He was still laughing, "Elysia Hughes, you are absolutely intriguing."

Elysia sighed, closing her eyes.

(At least Uncle Roy was right about Pride not hurting her yet.)

Selim glanced at Elysia, then at Hawkeye, "General, can we have a moment?"

Hawkeye narrowed her eyes, taking a seat in a chair in the corner of the room. "Of course, pretend that I'm not even here."

The homunculus couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him.

(It wasn't even worth his time to bother with killing anyone here. After all, why should he worry about people who pose no threat to him?)


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Chapter 18**

* * *

Chapter 18:

Elysia stared at Ms. Hawkeye, "You're just going to let him sit there?"

Hawkeye held the pistol in her hand cautiously, "Until the Fuehrer gets up here and makes him leave."

Pride chuckled dryly, "You make me sound like a cat that will bite anyone who tries to touch it."

Elysia pulled her feet up onto the bed, watching Selim nervously. "Sounds like a pretty good analogy for a murderous beast."

Selim scoffed, "I don't know, I'd say lions are murderous beasts but cats?" He sat up with a grumble, "Just because I haven't killed you doesn't mean that you can sit there and insult me."

Elysia tried to hide the shiver that went down her spine, her eyes unintentionally searching the shadows for movement.

Selim sighed, "I don't want this..." He gazed down at his hands, twirling the shadows between his fingers. "I do, I'm glad I have my power and my memories back - but I'm also not." He closed his eyes, "Everything is just so confusing!"

Elysia almost felt a twinge of sympathy for the confused homunculus.

Before she knew what she was doing, her hand was resting comfortingly on her (former) friend's shoulder.

(She could do this, Uncle Roy believed she could.)

He glanced at her questioningly, "There's really no need to pretend with me, I can see right through it."

Elysia removed her hand quickly, "I just-" she sighed. "I know you can't be all bad, I just..."

(I just want my best friend back.)

"You don't know if you should hope for that." Selim nodded slowly, "I don't know what more needs to be done to prove that I don't intend to harm you."

(She missed the old Selim, but Pride could never be him. They were just too different, how could a monster be her friend?)

"Why not?" Elysia asked, confusion coloring her tone, "Why did I get to live when you slaughtered those chimeras?"

Pride didn't respond for a minute. "You're my..." He trailed off, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. Admitting weakness was not something he was used to. "You're my friend..." He closed his eyes, he hated admitting his feelings. "I can't just let you die." He finished quickly.

Elysia laughed.

Selim frowned, "What's so funny? Ha, ha. Big scary monster can't kill the girl! I know..."

He jumped as Elysia enveloped him in a hesitant hug, "What?"

(She just had to remember what Roy told her, play the part and he wouldn't hurt her.)

"You idiot," she laughed, a slight grin on her face. "You really haven't changed all that much have you?"

(Except for the centuries of blood staining his hands and the spilt personality.)

Selim returned the hug, ignoring the revulsion he felt at the action.

A large hand clamped firmly onto Pride's shoulder.

The homunculus gratefully allowed himself to be pulled out of the hug.

(Mustang really couldn't have had better timing.)

"We're going downstairs for a little chat, Pride."

* * *

The homunculus ripped his shoulder out of Mustang's hand as he was led down the stairs like a prisoner. "We wouldn't be in this situation if you weren't hiring such idiotic humans and giving them guns."

Mustang only shifted the gloves on his hands, "Those are good men and women that will give their lives to protect their country."

"And they're all fools." Pride stated, his arms crossed behind him as if he was attending a formal event.

(The torn and bloodied suit that he was wearing only added to the ambiance.)

The alchemist ignored him and pointed to a chair, "Sit down. We have a lot to talk about - and you better pay close attention this time."

"Of course, mister Mustang." Pride replied, his polite tone mocking the Fuehrer. "I look forward to it."

A scream from upstairs burst through the tension.

Mustang snapped his fingers, mildly impressed when Pride managed to dive out of the way of a flame that torched the seat where he had previously been. "What did you do?"

Pride snarled, "Nothing! Why can't you humans realize that I'm not to blame for everything that happens?"

The Fuehrer ignored him, already bounding up the stairs and down the hallway. The door gave no protest as it swung in on its broken hinges from the force of Mustang's kick but right now he was more preoccupied with the scene before him.

Elysia was in the arms of a horrible bat-like creature with a permanent snarl etched on its snout and beady black eyes. Two webbed membranes extended from its arms, like the wings on a gliding squirrel. It held a crossbow up in one hand with a defiant grin, "Come any closer and I shoot her!" It was slowly backing up, climbing onto the windowsill without using either of its hands.

Pride rushed into the room, the light from behind him in the hall stretching his shadows across the room. "Well, what-"

He didn't get another word out as the chimera aimed the crossbow and fired, hitting the dark red node on Pride's head as if it was a target.

Mustang noticed the shadows on the ground, all extended towards the gruesome chimera and Elysia, but they were frozen and shaking silently - much like Pride at the moment as he crumbled to the ground.

He felt as helpless as Pride probably did; he couldn't set the beast on fire without making it fall out the window and take Elysia with it.

The chimera, one arm wrapped firmly around Elysia, shouted, "If you want the girl back, you can start by killing the Fuehrer!"

He turned and leapt out the window, releasing Elysia once he was clear of the frame.

"No!" Mustang howled, racing forward as he waited for the unmistakable thump of a body hitting the hard ground.

The sound never came as the chimera arced up in the sky, Elysia firmly held in its clawed feet as it glided unsteadily on its short wings.

It lightly flapped its arms a few times to no obvious benefit, but the beast wasn't falling from the sky or even dropping yet.

He was useless, setting the chimera on fire meant killing Elysia and he could never be responsible for that.

He turned around and viewed Pride, the homunculus was snarling at him in fury, still pinned down effectively.

He walked over and paused as he placed his hand on shaft of the arrow, "I should just leave you here for everything you've done."

Pride was unable to respond, the only movement he was capable of was a violent spasm accompanied by arcing red sparks.

Mustang gripped the arrow closed to the spot where it was embedded in Pride's head, "But I need your help if I'm going to save Elysia, you're the only one who knows the tunnels underneath Central well enough to find them."

(And something told him that the bat chimera was going to hate life once Pride could move again.)

He ripped the arrow out, not hiding his satisfaction at causing Pride pain.

The homunculus immediately drew his shadows back around him, holding his head in agony. "You need my help, but you sit around while I use every soul that I've painstakingly collected to keep me from falling to ash from that wound."

(How did the chimera know that shooting his forehead - with a crossbow of all things - would paralyze him? And force him to use more souls than any other wound would?)

Mustang tossed the arrow onto the floor with a grimace. "I may not have thought about that."

"Humans and their damnable memories."

"If I am remembering correctly," Mustang said dryly, "Then you couldn't remember your entire past a few days ago."

Pride shrugged, "There's a difference."

"And what's that?"

"I remembered."

Roy held himself back from snapping his fingers and wiping that infuriating smirk off of Pride's face. He decided to turn to the issue at hand, "You need to replenish your stone then?"

"Preferably, it you want me to be of any benefit in a battle." Pride replied casually.

Mustang really hoped he wasn't going to regret this, "I have an idea..."

* * *

The death row section of the jailhouse was horrible, with the smell of blood and urine permeating the air. The dank cells weren't any better; full of rats and lice, it was said that it was a blessing if you died quickly there.

Pride wrinkled his nose, "This is absolutely disgusting - why are we here?"

Mustang almost felt as bad as Selim must have. "You need more souls."

Pride opened his mouth immediately to protest, "I'm not eating them!" He glanced into one of the cells at the man coated in dirt. "I do have standards and this is definitely below them."

"And here I was hoping you'd have some argument on how eating humans is morally wrong."

Pride almost laughed, "It's no different than humans eating a cow. Sometimes you find cows amusing, but in the end they're still lower than you and it won't haunt you as much if you eat a cow instead of another human."

Mustang scoffed, "Hypocrite. You ate your brother."

A look of pain flashed across Selim's features quickly, "He was about to die, I made it so he died in a way useful to me."

"If that lets you sleep at night."

"I don't sleep." Pride retorted, staring at the row of cells. "How many do I get?"

"Now you're not complaining?"

"This is the only way I can make that chimera pay for what he did."

Mustang almost asked him to clarify, but he stopped himself. It was better to believe he meant the kidnapping of Elysia.

"The whole row of them."

Pride's cold eyes slowly glanced at all the cells, "That's thirteen men."

"I know," Mustang answered swiftly, he couldn't let his conscience catch up with him now. "It won't be hard to burn thirteen souls out of you when you betray me."

(Something also appeared to be limiting Pride's power, but he wasn't about to alert the homunculus to the fact that he had noticed it.)

Selim narrowed his eyes at that, but nodded - almost looking squeamish at the thought of killing a human.

Mustang wished he had missed the gleeful light that had awakened Pride's eyes after the first prisoner was gone within a few seconds with a strangled scream.

He really wished that he could forget the prisoners screaming as they saw others succumb to their fate, yelling to him for help as he simply looked away.

The only thing he was grateful for was that he sent the guards away before they had begun.

* * *

Mustang wasn't quite sure how to react when Pride insisted that he knew how to find the chimeras, and that the secret was in the bushes outside of his luxurious mansion.

"These are just bushes."

Pride held his hand up, inhaling deeply. "They're around here somewhere..."

"In my bushes?"

Pride held a hand up as he strained his ears, "Ah-ha!"

The shadows pulled two identical men out of the bushes, both scrawny specimens with blue eyes, however, one had black hair and the other had stark white hair.

"Please don't eat me!" Earth Dog cried, hanging upside down from the shadow holding his ankle.

Striped Head simply snorted and crossed his arms, looking rather ridiculous as he tried to appear indifferent while he swung upside down.

"That all depends," Pride responded, the shadows echoing his voice. "I want you both to lead me to your hideout."

Striped Head frowned, "No, not happening."

Pride sighed, "Let me put it to you this way - either you guys take me there and live to see another day, or I eat you and absorb your memories. So one way or another, I end up at your hideout." He dropped them both to the ground roughly. "Now," the shadows rose up and drew back, like a group of grinning snakes ready to strike. "What's your decision?"

"They're in the sewer system under the court house!" Earth Dog cried, ignoring his brother's betrayed glance. "I'm sorry, brother! I can't let us die here though! As the oldest-"

"The oldest?" Striped Head snarled, "The oldest by a few seconds!" He began to transform, the badger emerging in bristles of rough hair and yellow fangs. "I won't let you kill them!"

Earth Dog responded in turn, pinning his brother down roughly. "Go now!

Pride sniffed, "Brutal beasts, try not to rip each other's throats out. You could be of use to me later."

Roy looked at the chimeras then at Pride, "Why were there two chimeras in my bushes?"

Pride shrugged, "They must've been looking for food. Don't you know not to use metal trash cans?"

Mustang knew that wasn't the truth, but let it go as he followed the homunculus. They had to work together long enough to save Elysia.

(Then he can set the little bastard on fire.)


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Chapter 19**

* * *

Chapter 19:

Edward Elric was at the end of his rope.

According to Hawkeye, the situation with Selim was worsening, and here he was stuck waiting in some no-name town because of a train derailment!

"Why can't I catch a taxi up to the next station?" He growled at the tired ticket booth woman.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the road runs right next to the track. Unless you know a State Alchemist who can patch this up in a few seconds, I'm afraid we're stuck cleaning it up the hard way."

Ed really was going to strangle her, personal morals be damned.

(It was times like this when he really missed his alchemy.)

"I know an alchemist who can fix this, but you won't let him come up this line so he can get here because it's - and I quote - 'Too crowded here.'" Ed grumbled.

The woman shrugged helplessly, "I'm sorry, sir, but if you have a problem - talk to the manager. I can't help you on that."

"But the manager refuses to see me!" Ed shouted in frustration.

The woman sighed; she really wasn't paid enough to deal with this.

* * *

Why, of all the damn chimeras, did it have to be a bat chimera?

Elysia has - ever since that incident with that tennis ball at dusk - had a severe fear of bats. Not exactly paralyzing, but not pleasant either.

(She wasn't scared because of that fear anyways; anyone would be scared when dangling forty feet in the air.)

The bat swooped lower and Elysia came to a sharp realization. The bat couldn't fly, it could only glide.

Her mind zipped back to the bird chimera that Selim had brutally ripped up before sending it on an ill fated mission to deliver a message. Never once, even when it had transformed unconsciously out of terror, did it try to fly away. Fight or flight, that's the two main animal instincts. It couldn't fly, and it definitely couldn't fight, so that's why it didn't escape! Why would it follow an instinct to attempt the impossible?

The ground was getting closer.

(She could probably survive the drop now.)

She began squirming, twisting her shoulders violently and swinging her legs. The added momentum made the chimera begin to swerve and dip in the air.

It growled, tightening the hold of its talons on her shoulder.

She stifled a cry as they easily dug through her skin and blood began to trickle down her shoulders.

(She wouldn't give this beast the satisfaction of making her cry out.)

"Struggle and I won't hesitate to kill you." The chimera snarled, "All I need is your corpse to attract the Promised One, I don't need you alive."

Elysia slowed her protests, sure to jerk her shoulders through the pain every now and then though, just so the chimera knew it hadn't fully won.

(Her pride just simply wouldn't allow for her to give in.)

* * *

"I'm not a bloodhound." Pride crossed him arms and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Mustang disapprovingly.

They were both standing outside of Amestris' main courthouse, looking for any sign of an underground tunnel. It was a rather grand building - with tall columns and a low, decorative wall connected with the columns.

"You ate Gluttony - you have to still have his abilities!" Mustang pointed out, "You could just sniff them out!" He tried to mask the desperation in his voice as annoyance, it wasn't exactly false.

(Trying to work with Pride was like trying to train a cat.)

Pride huffed, growling under his breath as he shot a withering glare at Mustang. "Fine, but only because it will save us time."

The shadows crept out around his feet, holding close to the ground as he inhaled deeply through his nose.

(His sense of smell wasn't as strong as it had been before, it was probably only a little better than a human's now.)

"There's nothing..." Pride reported, ignoring the annoyance he felt at the loss of his incredible sense of smell.

Mustang laughed bitterly, "So your chimeras lied and are probably back there applauding each other on their performances."

The shadows weren't stretching as far as they used to. Mustang felt a smirk grow on his face as he watched Pride wander towards the building; the street lights extended his body's shadow, but it appeared that he had extended his unnatural shadows to their limit - only about ten feet as opposed to his formerly monstrous capacities and power.

(That could be useful to know later, just in case.)

Pride froze, the shadows collecting over one point. He dispersed them with a simple wave of his hand and knelt down to examine the ground.

Mustang joined him as he wiped up something onto his finger; a rusty substance fell off of his fingers as he rubbed them together.

"It's her blood." Selim said, his voice devoid of any emotion. "They went this way but it's already been a substantial amount of time." He moved along slowly as he scanned the ground. "Seems she was bleeding..." He sounded like a scientist reading a chart, curious yet disinterested.

The tracks led them up to the main door of the courthouse.

Mustang shook his head, "This can't be right, the doors are always locked."

Selim looked at the bloody trail leading up the path to the building's entrance, quietly contemplating the issue. "They didn't go in."

He walked to the left of the door, looking down at a rather large drainage grate completely hidden from the view of the street by a low wall. "That's different." He commented lightly.

Mustang frowned as he noticed Pride's fingers twitching as if he was aching to wrap them around someone's throat, but he let it go.

(The fury in him was barely contained as it was. Who was he to comment on Pride's self-control?)

Pride moved the grate and glared into the murky depths, "You don't happen to have a lantern do you?"

Mustang laughed, "I have something even better." A ball of alchemic flame ignited in his gloves palm. "It's a new trick I've been working on."

Pride nodded, "It could be useful."

(He would never compliment something as low as a human.)

The two descended down into the sewer, Pride leaping in before gagging in disgust at the splash of filthy water that sprayed up.

Mustang laughed as he slowly entered via the ladder. "Ladders too good for you now?"

Pride wrinkled his nose in disgust and attempted to brush some of the filth off of his ruined suit. "You're not the one with a sensitive sense of smell."

A wicked grin crossed Mustang's face, "And if it smells bad down here for me, I can only imagine what it smells like to you."

Pride was turning green. "There's no point to wasting time with idle chatter." He wiped at his watering eyes, "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can leave this hellhole."

"It's not that bad..." Mustang teased lightly, being the Fuehrer of Amestris often left him with little time to have fun anymore and - despite the dire circumstances - poking a homunculus' buttons to see how far you could push them was surprisingly entertaining.

Pride ignored him and sloshed ahead, "Stupid, disgusting humans..."

* * *

Pride held up one finger, signaling for Mustang to be quiet.

He pointed at the ratty wooden door in front of him and nodded, counting down from three on his hand.

"Now!" Mustang yelled when he reached one, charging in ahead of the homunculus.

Pride groaned and slowly followed, glancing around the room.

(The goal was to have the element of surprise, not to destroy it by yelling before they even attacked.)

It was small, far too small to fit any form of organization meeting in it. Half of the room was barred off, with two men held in chains behind the bars.

"A captive audience." Pride drawled, "How convenient, I'm sure you two know where hostages would be held?"

The old man chuckled, his mirth quickly dissolving into a rattling cough. "I told them Pride would be their downfall."

"Yes, we know..." Mustang grumbled, "Now where did the bat chimera go?"

"The main hall," a younger man responded, nodding his head to the left. "Go down that hall, it'll dead-end in the room you're looking for."

Pride smirked, "Thank you for your service."

Mustang didn't realize quickly enough that the prisoners were cast in their shadows – easily within Pride's reach.

The shadows lashed out, cutting a hole in the bars and smashing into the captives.

The younger man's startled yelp continued for far longer than Mustang expected.

(Mustang didn't even realize that he closed his eyes.)

Slowly cracking one eye open, he felt a surge of hope as the two captives rubbed their raw wrists. The younger one leaned down to help the elder stand.

"Thank you, we won't forget this!"

Pride nodded slowly, "Go to the Fuehrer's mansion, you'll find two allies there. Then I want you all to find somewhere to hide." He grinned, "Be ready if I require your services, I'll be contacting you."

Mustang couldn't help but feel a little wary, Pride was amassing a network. Granted it was small, but any power in the homunculus' hands couldn't bode well for him or Amestris.

The two nodded and hurried away, Pride following them out. He then turned to the left, watching the two retreating forms out of the corner of his eye until they were out of sight.

(Did he care about their safety?)

Pride looked at Mustang; the human was deep in thought still in the middle of the cell room.

"Are we going or will you be admiring the bricks all night?" He asked calmly.

Mustang frowned at the homunculus, stepping out of the room and adjusting his gloves. "I was just planning our escape. There's going to be a lot of them."

He didn't see Pride's devious smirk as he passed him and proceeded down the hall.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Chapter 20**

* * *

Chapter 20:

Elysia's captor leaned close to her neck, taking a deep breath and gripping her shoulders tighter.

Elysia leaned as far away as she could, quickly meeting his advance with a scathing retort, "And you smell revolting."

"And you're completely under my control." The bat responded, running a clawed finger down her arm.

The leader looked up, "Don't play with the hostage, Night Bird. Either hold her normally or we chain her to the wall."

They were all assembled in the meeting room, the few bare light bulbs barely lighting the room.

The group of chimeras had dwindled in size from almost twenty to a mere seven remaining. A few brutish chimeras were transformed - Elysia spotted a lizard, a rat, and a snake amongst them.

A raven chimera was crouched in the rafters with a crossbow hanging loosely in one hand.

The final was a man, not a chimera, sitting in the corner forlornly. "I don't like this, Barb. We should just let the girl go and hope the Promised One lets us live for our insolence."

The leader, Barbed Prince, laughed. "You're an idealist, my boy!" His face darkened, the mirth still glittering in his eyes though. "We're already damned, so why repent now?"

The human fidgeted nervously, glancing at the door with a desperate gleam in his eyes. With a shout, he raced to the door in a frantic blur, reaching the door right as it blew apart in a burst of flames. The man flew backwards, snapping his neck when his body smashed into the far wall.

Night Bird inhaled deeply, his chest expanding against her back at the smell of blood.

Elysia struggled once again; being held by sadistic bat wasn't the best hostage situation she could imagine.

The bat tightened his grip on her as Mustang and Selim charged in.

The first two chimeras that attacked, the rat and the snake, vanished in the shadows with strangled yelps.

The lizard glanced around before falling to one knee, "My lord." His reptilian voice hissed, "Please forgive my insolence."

Pride's face remained neutral, "You wouldn't be in this room if you truly respected me."

Elysia closed her eyes as the shadows descended.

A scream of rage ripped through the air.

Elysia opened one eye to see Selim's face blood red as he was completely immobilized against the wall. An arrow was imbedded in his skull, a little to the right of his power node, but from his immobility it was obvious that it still had an effect.

He didn't make any noise as he glared furiously at the chimeras, his shadows frozen once more.

Mustang ran to help him but the raven chimera tackled him from the rafters, pinning him down and removing the gloves.

The Barbed Prince stood from his podium, "You know, for a god-like being, you're a little too easy to incapacitate."

Pride narrowed his mauve eyes, "Who are you?"

"Me?" The leader gestured to himself as his bones cracked and skin rippled. "I'm the plague of the desert, the warrior-"

Pride cut him off, his arms shaking violently as red sparks lit his face. "I don't care for your narcissism. Who are you?"

"Are you in any room to be making demands, boy?" Night Bird hissed.

Pride's eyes flicked to him, and then settled on Elysia. Relief shot through his mauve eyes before being replaced by sheer anger. "What's the point of maintaining a hostage when you already have me?"

"Why to ensure your cooperation, of course." The Barbed Prince purred. "And my name? I'm the Barbed Prince, shadow master of the chimeras."

His transformation was complete, a grotesque scorpion chimera with beady black eyes, mandibles, and two barbs replacing his hands.

"Though, since you've delivered the Fuehrer to us on a silver platter, I don't think I'll be in need of your services anymore." The Prince waved his hand. "Night Bird, dispose of the hostage."

Elysia felt the beast pull her in closer, "Of course, my liege."

She kicked and bucked against the beast, but it only served to entice him as he snarled lightly. "The more you struggle, the more enjoyable this is for me."

She screamed when she felt his claws ripping slowly into her neck.

Selim howled, "Let her go!" He jerked forward, still immobilized. "Release her now, you abhorrent brute!"

The Barbed Prince berated him lightly, "I'll have you know that your precious Father created us slightly above the level of mere brutes."

The fight almost completely drained out of Selim at those words. "What did you just say?" He whispered harshly, his voice echoing metallically.

Night Bird lifted his hand, observing a bead of blood that was running down his clawed finger. "Your Father didn't trust in just you homunculi. He used chimeras to guard the tunnels instead of your shadows, did he not?"

The Barbed Prince grinned, "So he set us up in time release cocoons with inbred memories to guide us once we awakened." He shrugged, "Some of the chimera's artificial memories took, but many did not. Those chimeras died not soon after their birth."

Elysia yelped as Night Bird's claws returned to her neck.

Pride narrowed his eyes, "Why would Father set up time release cocoons…" A slow smirk spread across his face, "Don't tell me, the reason that some of the memories didn't take was because Father was wiping them himself? He planned to reuse the chimeras but he simply ran out of time. You were scrapped, but the cocoons reactivated automatically and released you into a future where Father…" He trailed off, choosing to ignore the meaning that he implied.

The Barbed Prince growled, "That is not true! That is false! That is not what-"

The raven chimera holding Mustang suddenly erupted in a mass of flames.

The alchemist sent another ball of flame into the bat chimera, easily turning it into a ball of ash without harming Elysia.

Pride sighed, "When you're done playing hero can you please release me before the scorpion escapes?"

The scorpion was indeed already gone, having escaped in the chaos that erupted from Mustang's escape.

The Fuehrer huffed, instead checking on Elysia. The girl was incredibly pale, but she would live if they got her to a hospital soon. Mustang quickly ripped the arrow out of Pride's head, " I seem to be doing this a lot recently."

Pride ignored Mustang as he stood and surveyed the two piles of ash. "You made them suffer." His voice had taken on its inhuman tones again, "Good."

He walked out of the room, the shadows lowering to the ground and slinking along behind him like a pack of feral dogs.

* * *

The Barbed Prince was running as fast as his legs could carry him. His whole plan had failed - it was in ruins.

A sound like the slithering hiss of hundreds of snakes was becoming more audible from behind him.

"So, you truly believe that Father created you and your kin as a back-up plan for we failed?" Pride's metallic voice echoed mockingly down the hall.

A shadow lapped at his heel, enticing a boost of speed from his quickly tiring legs.

(He must be close.)

"You truly had to concoct such a wild idea to command the respect of your kin? That is the sign of a trickster, not a leader."

The shadows barred the escape to his left, so he continued running down the hall, ignoring his screaming instincts pleading with him to escape, to hide, to do anything to ensure his survival.

Pride chuckled, "Oh dear, I seem to have chased you into a dead end."

The Barbed Prince ignored him as he scrambled at the wall, scraping at it in vain to find any purchase on the slick stone.

The shadows swirled around him, nipping at his heels teasingly.

"You killed someone I cared about." Pride informed him. "And then you just tried to do the same."

The Barbed Prince had transformed back into his feeble human form, begging and pleading for his life.

Pride pretended to not hear the pleas as he continued. "I don't care for many people, and you managed to threaten all of them in a short amount of time." The shadows paused, "You killed one of them."

They resumed in a blinding flurry of blood and pain.

"I really can't forgive you for that, you understand, of course." Pride shrugged nonchalantly. "So I suppose I can make you suffer a fraction of what I would have had you managed to succeed."

The Barbed Prince's screams ripped down the empty hall, not one of his once-proud chimeras left to hear his terror.

One last thought flitted through the dethroned prince's mind - a memory - transplanted from his beloved Father.

* * *

A blond man leaned over him; his vision was warped by the frosted glass of the cocoon surrounding him.

The man's golden eyes cold as he said one thing to the Barbed Prince. "Your mission is simple - guard the tunnels." He stressed the words very carefully and nodded slowly, apparently satisfied with what he was viewing.

Then, his only memory of his Father was gone, absorbed into a red abyss that raged with the screams of furious souls.

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Chapter 21**

* * *

Chapter 21:

Hawkeye was tempted to grab a camera, this shot would be perfect for blackmail later.

Mustang was passed out in the chair next to Elysia's hospital bed, snoring away while Pride sat outside the room, engrossed in a novel.

The lights of the bright hospital didn't seem to bother them as they rested from their ordeal.

She never thought that Roy would be able to sleep in the same building as a homunculus, but the two seemed to have reached a form of agreement.

(Probably something having to do with the level of cooperation they had reached.)

They had only just arrived about twenty minutes ago, but Roy had pulled a few strings allowing them to get a private room and the nurses had wasted no time in stabilizing Elysia.

Neither of the two males had bothered to change before falling asleep though, Pride still in his ridiculously filthy suit and Mustang's uniform only slightly better in terms of salvageability.

The door swung open behind her, smacking her clear in the head.

Hawkeye stifled a yelp and turned to glare at the intruder.

Mrs. Bradley smiled apologetically at her, obviously not too worried about the fact that she just smacked a general in the head.

She held up a bag of clothing that Hawkeye had suggested she bring on the rather short phone call to inform her that Selim was fine and they were at the hospital. Mrs. Bradley looked at Selim sitting outside, still reading his book as he avoided eye contact with Mrs. Bradley.

Pride stretched, the shadows under his chair twitching slowly. His nose wrinkled as he moved to close his book and place it under his chair. He looked down at his suit and grimaced, "That's unpleasant."

He finally met his mother's gaze, standing firm as she looked at him with a mixture of emotions before saying, "Selim Bradley!" She didn't sound very happy. "You are filthy! Can you not wear anything else when you decide to go on a mad dash throughout Central?"

Pride was sitting there dumbfounded, utterly speechless to Hawkeye's great amusement.

"Mother, I-" He looked down at his suit, fidgeting with the threadbare cuff. He couldn't help but wish Hawkeye wasn't present for this. "I'm-" Hawkeye would never let him live this down - unless she had nightmares about the shadows for the next few weeks. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have taken off in the suit..." He ignored the throbbing in his temple. Of all the things she would worry about, she chooses the suit?

(The souls in his stone have never done this before to the extent they were now. It was almost like they were screaming obscenities at him.)

A few tears welled up in his mother's eyes as she threw the bag of clothes at him. "Go get yourself cleaned up."

Selim nodded, glancing down at his bloodied suit in an attempt to gauge how awful he looked. "Of course, Mother. I'll be back soon."

"And I put some soap in there!" Mrs. Bradley called into the bathroom behind him. "Use that shower!"

A small part of him was grateful for his mother's act; it was almost like nothing had changed at all.

(Now, if only the screams would stop.)

* * *

Mrs. Bradley sighed sadly, "He really hasn't changed all that much." She looked at Hawkeye, her eyes burning with determination. "I've been thinking about this for a few days and I've decided that I can't allow for you to hurt him." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "I won't let you take my son away from me."

Hawkeye nodded slowly, "I don't think you'll have to worry much, ma'am." She grinned, "It seems your parenting worked." She frowned thoughtfully, "You taught him how to be human, it appears."

She reached to the pocket in her coat and pulled out a thick roll of papers, "It's all in here. His past, everything that the government is aware of anyways."

Mrs. Bradley shook her head, "I don't want to know."

Hawkeye's surprise was clear on her face.

Mrs. Bradley's kindly face was wrinkled in sadness as she twisted the ring on her left hand. "All I need to know is that my son is still my son and he will do everything in his power to protect me." She smiled, years of experience shining through in that short moment. "Sometimes the best thing to do is to forget."

Hawkeye chuckled, "Forget? That's an interesting way of looking at it."

"Someday you'll see it that way too."

Hawkeye looked at Roy sleeping soundly in his chair then at Elysia with her bandaged neck.

(Something told her that she just might not be able to forget that easily.)

* * *

The whole room was black.

No, it wasn't now.

She moved her head slowly, jerking her sleepy limbs into motion as she coaxed her eyes to open.

The whole room was blurred and out of focus, the only light coming from the cracked door leading out to a hall.

Was that a hall? It had to be.

The soft rustle of a page drew her attention to the chair near her bed.

She screamed when she saw the dark figure seated there.

The sound of a book hitting the floor was barely discernible over her screams.

"Elysia!" Selim called, racing to the door to turn the light on. "Quiet or they'll think I'm murdering you!"

The bright light hit her eyes, making black spots dance across her vision.

Pride was over by her side in an instant, observing all of the machines that were reading her vital signs. "Nothing seems to be wrong, just an increased blood pressure and a spike in heartbeats but those two can be easily connected..."

He yelped as the bed's remote connected firmly with his head. "What was that for?"

"You just had to sit in a dark room and scare me right when I woke up, didn't you? Why didn't you turn any lights on?"

"Why would I bother with that?" Selim questioned, rubbing his head.

"Too see!"

He shrugged, "I've always had pretty good night vision, and it isn't that dark in here."

Elysia huffed, crossing her arms.

(If her heart would settle a bit then maybe she could play into a convincing part.)

"You're welcome, Elysia. I know, I know. Fighting off chimeras is tiring, but I did it all to save you after you got kidnapped." Pride said in mock humility.

"I wouldn't have been kidnapped if it wasn't for you in the first place!" She protested angrily.

Pride shrugged, "The cause is irrelevant. I did save you after all."

"You're impossible!"

"And you're stubborn."

A vein on Elysia's forehead pulsed in fury, "You did not just go there!" She was waving her arms wildly to accentuate her point. "Pride did not just tell me that I'm stubborn!"

Selim shrugged, "I am the incarnation of pride - I'm supposed to be stubborn."

"And that's not being stubborn right now?"

"I'd say more prideful."

"You're impossible!"

"So you've said."

Elysia growled and fell back onto the bed, causing the pillows to puff from the sudden weight.

(She couldn't keep this act up.)

Selim reached down and retrieved his book, flipping through it to find his page.

Elysia glanced at the cover, "That book doesn't have a title."

Pride nodded, "I removed the dust cover."

"Is keeping it in good shape that important?"

He nodded in admittance, "Books are more-"

"Elysia!" Mustang was hugging her tightly with a huge grin on his face, "My little girl is okay!"

"Uncle Roy!" Elysia choked, "I can't-"

Selim almost laughed at the sight, "I'll leave you two then."

Roy turned to him and nodded slowly, eyes vigilant for any slip up.

Pride nodded back in acknowledgment and slipped out into the hall, deciding to go find his mother.

* * *

It had already been two days.

Two days since Elysia was released from the hospital. Two days since Selim had begun a slow integration back into his old routine, with some new additions.

After a long debate, Mustang had stopped pushing for a constant guard vigil on the homunculus and instead agreed to weekly check-ups in Central Command to ensure that he wasn't planning any murders or coups.

(Mrs. Bradley was a huge help in avoiding the guard issue. Who knew she was so convincing?)

Though their caution wasn't unwarranted, he had his small group of chimeras at his beck and call - Mustang didn't need to know anything else about them. Pride was content to let the chimeras blend back into society, as long as they were ready to answer to him.

"Pride?" Mustang asked incredulously, "Where you even listening to me?"

Selim yawned, "Of course not."

"The only reason we have these meetings is to make sure that you aren't planning anything." Mustang reminded him, "I still think you should have a constant guard, but-"

"Wait," Pride sat up, "Are you telling me that you don't want me to make plans to go take Elysia to dinner-"

"What?" Mustang roared, "When did this-"

Pride smirked, "Joking." At Mustang's reddening face, he frowned. "So are you saying that if I were to plan this that I can't... Or is this for other plans?"

Mustang sat back with a groan, "This is ridiculous."

"I agree, after all, there's no way that you'd find out even if I was planning something."

Mustang looked at him suspiciously, "Are you saying that-"

"By the way, approximately how long does it take to discover that someone is missing?"

"What did you-"

"I was thought it was about three days but, for some reason, I think it may be less..."

Mustang was in shock, "Are you purposefully antagonizing me?"

Selim looked at him in mock confusion, "It's a valid question."

"It's a suspicious question!" Mustang growled in response.

"So do I get another mark on that new report you've got on me?"

Mustang frowned, "How do you know about that?"

"I just think it's too blank," Pride shrugged. "You should have a lot more red flags up for someone of my stature."

Mustang sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Do you want a permanent guard?"

"It'd certainly be interesting..."

"Just go." Mustang pointed to the door, "You're going to give me gray hairs."

"Shame that humans age so quickly, do you know what Wrath did when he saw his first gray-"

"Out!"

Selim was grinning wickedly when he joined Elysia outside of Mustang's office.

"You really should be nicer to him."

(This is too hard for her.)

Selim turned his hands up, "I did nothing wrong."

"Yeah, sure you didn't."

They were walking out of the office when they saw a group of people gathered around a captain who was telling a story animatedly.

"And then I saw the creature turn, holding the young girl in his arms. The shadows were curled around them both, and I just knew that he had awful plans for the girl in mind."

Selim motioned for them to stop, "I've got to hear this." He whispered to Elysia, leaning against the wall closest to the speaker.

The captain was too wrapped up in his story and captivated audience to notice the new arrivals.

"I planted my feet and pulled my gun out while I yelled, 'Stop! In the name of Amestris and her people, I order you to put the girl down and turn yourself in!'" The captain smirked at the sound of the audience's impressed awes. "But the brute only laughed at me and sent his shadows hurtling at me!"

The captain didn't even notice the shadows creeping up around him. Elysia elbowed Selim, but he waved her off.

(Was he really going to devour that man in front of this crowd?)

One curled around the captain's ankle and he froze. "And I-" He tried to ignore the strange icy sensation on his ankle. "And I-"

Selim was grinning wickedly as the shadow tugged at his ankle, causing the captain to look down.

The eye on the shadow snapped open, making the captain scream in shock and jump away.

The audience frowned in confusion, one man scratched the back of his head, "You screamed and ran away?"

"No! I-"

Selim laughed loudly, "I think this is all nonsense."

The audience mumbled in agreement as they began to disperse.

The captain looked at Selim, completely frozen in place. "It's you."

He pushed off against the wall, ignoring Elysia's plea for him to let it go as he strode forward. "I really feel like you may have stretched the truth there a bit."

The captain was pale, sweat beading on his forehead as he gulped nervously. "I didn't think that-"

"That what?" Pride prodded.

"That-"

"Get away from him!"

Pride spun around, looking for the source of the voice. "What?"

He looked down and sighed, "Oh, it's you."

"I saw what you did there!" Edward Elric roared, stomping his foot angrily. He reached to his side, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword. "You have turned back into Pride! I can't let you-"

"Brother!" Al ran into the room, with Mustang in tow. "I found Mustang and you aren't going to believe this!"

Mustang smirked at the sight before him, "I see you've found Pride then."

"What?" Ed glanced between the two men, taking in Pride's confident smirk and Mustang's amusement. "Wait-" He shook his head, "What are you waiting for?" He mimicked snapping his fingers at Pride.

The homunculus only raised an eyebrow in reply, "Really?"

(The second Edward didn't clap his hands was all Pride needed to gauge the alchemist's threat level; why would an alchemist of Edward's caliber reach for a sword? In the absence of alchemy, of course.)

"Quickly! While he's not attacking!"

Al sighed, "Brother! He's not evil anymore!"

(Alphonse was still as kindhearted and trusting as always. That was going to be his downfall one day.)

Pride looked offended, "I'll have you know that I-"

Elysia stomped on his foot, hard.

"Ouch!" He yelped, hopping on one foot as he held the injured one. "What was that for?"

"You're not helping your case."

Selim crossed his arms, "I could kill you for that."

"You won't do anything to jeopardize your peace." Elysia retorted with a scoff.

He was completely oblivious to both of the Elric's incredulous looks.

"Brother, did he-"

"Are you sure he isn't sick?" Ed mumbled.

Mustang sighed, "I was trying to explain this to you. Basically, he's got a spilt in his views on humanity. There's the tolerable group and intolerable group. Mostly everyone is in the intolerable group, and then he has his select tolerable group."

"Can you wait until I leave to talk about me?" Pride grumbled, "Don't you know that it is rude to talk about someone right in front of them?"

Elysia began pushing the arrogant homunculus out of the room with him protesting slightly. "Then let's let them talk and we can go get ice cream!"

(She still didn't like Mustang's plan.)

"But I-" Selim sighed, "Fine."

Elysia grinned mischievously, "Race you there then!"

(And maybe she could collect her thoughts as she ran.)

She shoved him to the ground and took off, laughing evilly.

"What?" He ran after her, the shadows stretching out to catch her so he could win. "You cheated! Where is your honor?"

Ed's mouth was hanging open in shock.

"Brother, you'll catch flies." Al pushed his mouth shut.

"Can homunculi get sick?"

* * *

Elysia released an exhausted moan as she collapsed onto her bed.

She had to act normal around Selim, that's what Uncle Roy said was the best way to deal with this.

Hiding her flinches when he came near her was easy, but how long before he caught on?

How much longer could she keep this up?

He may not be acting very different now, but he was a bloodthirsty monster.

When was his true nature going to reveal itself in full?


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Chapter 22**

* * *

Chapter 22:

"I'd like to personally thank you all for coming today." The priest greeted, holding his hands with the palms outward in an expression of good faith. "We are here today, not to mourn the passing of this loved one, but to celebrate the life which he had..."

Selim tuned him out, not really in the mood to hear the priest's generic consolations.

His eyes scanned over the arches rising high above his head, giving the whole church an illusion of feeling larger than it really was. The small pews sat in even rows on either side of the main aisle coming down the church leading to the ornate alter at the head, currently adorned with an assortment of flowers and a black coffin.

A surge of regret hit him again at the sight of the coffin, accompanied by an increase in the screaming.

He grabbed his head, face scrunched in pain as he concentrated.

Even with the fury he felt at his inability to save William, the screams couldn't reach him if he didn't listen to them.

A small bit of worry began to blossom inside him, the stone had never troubled him before. Even with all the profanities and abuse screamed at him, it never fazed him. A slight sniffle caught his attention.

(Disgusting creatures, how hard is it to simply blow a nose? Though, he had never had any illnesses that would cause him to suffer from such a minor inconvience.)

Elysia was staring at her shoes with tears glistening in her eyes as she sniffed again.

(Oh great, what was he going to do if she started crying?)

A tear slipped down her face, she quickly wiped it away, not noticing Selim's panicked look.

"There's no use crying over him."

Elysia scoffed, "Of course you can say that." She glanced at him curiously, "Do you even-" Her eyes shot away from his, "I don't know how to phrase this without-"

"Do I feel?" Selim cut her off with a nod in response to his own question. "It's not without its drawbacks, but I do experience emotions."

Elysia frowned at his response, but let it go. She could always press the subject later.

"I'm going to miss him." She said quietly.

A deep sigh left Selim's chest, "I think I will too."

* * *

"Brother! Is this really necessary?" Al complained, looking up at his older brother currently situated halfway up a tree with a pair of binoculars.

Ed adjusted the focus slightly and growled, "I know he's planning something!"

Al glanced at the church across the street, the stone building surrounded by a large cemetery. "I think you're overreacting."

"And I think you're under-reacting!"

"That's not a word, brother."

Ed growled, tossing a pinecone at Al's head.

"Ouch! Brother! What was that for?"

"For being a smart-ass, now shut up. I can't focus."

* * *

Mrs. Bradley was probably the only one not worried about the future at all.

Why should she be?

Her husband was the former Fuehrer of Amestris, and if she could handle his temper, then her son would be no problem at all.

She glanced at her son, standing with his arm around his remaining friend with a thoughtful look on his face. Besides, he didn't seem to be any threat at all.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Chapter 23 - Beginning of Part 2**

* * *

_Beginning of Part 2_

Chapter 23:

Selim Bradley was having a bad day. It had only been a week since the event with the chimeras and yet he still couldn't get any peace.

"What are you planning this time, Pride?"

He sighed adjusting the items in his arms awkwardly. "I'm planning on buying these items here," he nodded to the load in his arms. "And then I'm meeting Mother for lunch."

Edward Elric, Selim's constant stalker for the past week, crossed his arms and eyes him distrustfully. "You're lying."

"Don't you have a family to bother instead of me?" Selim questioned.

Ed paled, "Who told you about them?"

Pride shrugged, "Don't worry yourself over details like that," he glanced over Ed's shoulder, pretending to survey the large clock on the wall behind him. "I really wouldn't leave such a lovely son and your wife home alone for very long though."

Ed was slowly turning red, "Is that a threat?"

"I'd consider it more of a friendly word of advice." Pride held onto the items tightly as he stepped Ed. "Have a good day, Elric."

* * *

Elysia counted the number of flash bombs that she had stored away in various places around her room.

She hated this - pretending to be friends with that monster wearing Selim's face. It didn't help either that Pride's mannerisms were so similar to Selim's, except now it seemed like he had planned every move as if this was all a game to him.

She slipped one bomb into her pocket, thinking carefully before adding one more alongside the previous one.

Roy insisted that, despite Pride's rather cold attitude, she had to at least play along with Pride. She had to be his "friend" until he was dead.

Maybe she could use this to her advantage though; she glanced at the open notebook on her desk.

A picture of her father was taped onto the first page, with his death of death right next to it.

The second page was covered in scribbles from history books of events happening at that time.

She didn't find it coincidental that the national blackout happened several months after. She remembered information from Selim's file that listed an event that wasn't acknowledged by history at all.

Maybe he could help her with this, or maybe he had something to do with her father's death and wouldn't say a word.

Either way, it's her only shot.

* * *

"Do I really have to go to school, Mother?" Selim complained, "I can tell you exactly what I'm not going to learn today. I've learned it at least five times before."

"The whole point of this is to get you to socialize, dear."

Selim huffed, "They're all inferior beings-" He yelped as a spoon connected with his forehead. "That hurt!"

"You know as well as I do that you need to meet more people. You can't go through life with one friend."

"I got along just fine when I had no friends."

"You also almost died then, Selim. Really, why can't you just do this one thing? For me, please?" Mrs. Bradley pleaded, collecting her spoon and rinsing it off in the sink.

"Fine..." Selim crossed his arms, "I hold no responsibility for any injuries that the other students may accidentally get though."

"Selim..." His mother crossed her arms, her face darkening.

"Of course, mother." He responded quickly, suddenly remembering exactly why Wrath had liked her so much.

Mrs. Bradley smiled as she handed him his lunch. "Have a great day now, dear. Make some new friends!" She patted his shoulder with a reassuring smile.

The door shut behind Selim as he scrambled out of his house. "Right, friends..." He spat the word out as if it was poison. "As if I'd be able to find friends."

* * *

Elysia dodged down the west hall, glancing out to make sure he was gone before proceeding on to her class.

She had been going out of her way to avoid Selim all day at school, though he wasn't making much of an effort to reach out to her. She was positive that he had slept through all of his classes, but whenever a teacher tried to catch him off guard with a question, he could always answer it flawlessly. One of the many perks of having lived for over three-hundred years probably.

Roy had had to nerve to actually confiscate all of her flash bombs this morning, he stopped by her apartment under the guise of saying hello to her mother and happened to accidentally bring them up in conversation. Her mom had panicked and told Roy to take them all away.

Elysia had retorted with a rather snide comment about becoming shadow food, but Roy just shook his head.

She couldn't help but feel defenseless without the reassuring weight of the flash bombs in her pocket; she only had one left that she had managed to hide.

(What if Pride got tired of her? He'd eat her without a second thought! Just like what he did to those chimeras.)

Unfortunately, even if she could avoid him in the halls, she was stuck next to him in her next class.

History had always been interesting, but she had a feeling that this was really going to be interesting today.

* * *

Selim was actually awake for this class, which was impressive seeing as he normally slept through them all.

"So you're finally awake, lazy-ass." Some idiot jeered from behind him, keeping his voice down to avoid attracting the teacher's attention.

Pride only stared ahead, not feeling inclined to entertaining the humans.

The idiot soon lost interest; humans weren't known for their attention spans.

Unfortunately, ignorance seems to be contagious among humans, and one of the idiot's friends decided to play next.

"I bet he's just tired from his big night last night." The teen with his acne-covered face teased. "So who was it, Bradley? That little doll that you used to always hang out with?" He grinned, revealing a row of stained teeth.

Pride bristled, trying to keep his shadows contained. It wouldn't be hard to rip the imbecile in two. Humans are like paper, even chimeras are made of tougher stuff.

"Strong and silent type, huh?" The imbecile snarled, "Well how about this?"

He kicked Selim's chair out from under him easily. Selim wasn't as small as he used to be, but he wasn't heavily built by any means. If he had been expecting it, his chair would have never even shifted, but, in his surprise, the homunculus hit the floor with a loud thud.

He didn't stay down long though, standing up quickly and fixing the bastard with a glare. "You're pathetic. Is your own self-esteem is so low that you truly feel the need to try to bring others down to your level?" Selim laughed, his eyes gleaming dangerously and the shadows coiling around his feet like snakes.

(Just one strike and this could all be over.)

Elysia walked into the room right in front of the teacher, she glanced at Selim and raised an eyebrow at him.

The shadows around his feet fell flat. He leaned down and righted his chair, sitting down and leaning back.

(He couldn't resist one final jab though.)

His shadow neatly sliced through the welding on the bastard's chair, sending him tumbling to the ground with a scream.

Elysia glared at him for that, but he couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it.

* * *

Mr. Buerger was a large man; over fifty, balding, and with a severe superiority complex - it was easy to see why he was Selim's least favorite teacher. It was like God had assembled everything that he hated and inserted it into one being.

To make matters worse, the man was incredibly opinionated and taught history only from his favorite side.

Selim felt his eye start to twitch as the man began his lecture on the Ishvalan Civil War.

"The beginnings of the Ishvalan Conflict can be traced back to..."

Selim tuned him out; he shouldn't have to be here. He knew the Ishvalan Civil War, he was the one who made sure Envy knew exactly who to kill to spark the whole event.

(True, he couldn't leave Central at that time, but the reports that he had Envy study were suitable enough.)

Truthfully, the teacher could just point at Selim as one of the causes and be entirely correct.

The homunculus closed his eyes. He had better things he could be doing right now, but while he was stuck in this accursed establishment, he would have to take a page from his younger brother's book.

It only took about two minutes for Pride to fall asleep.

It took Mr. Buerger almost thirty minutes to realize that his star student had passed out on him.

"Selim Bradley!" The textbook connected soundly with Selim's desk, sending the homunculus shooting up.

The shadow that was inches from Mr. Buerger's throat dissipated as Pride remembered where he was. "Since you were paying such good attention, would you mind telling me the main cause of the Ishvalan Conflict?"

(The man didn't even notice how close he was to death.)

Pride twitched, glancing around to make sure that no one had noticed the shadow. From the noticeable lack of panic, he could assume that it went unseen. "The main cause?" He hummed thoughtfully, "There's quite a few there, but the catalyst was the death of the Ishvalan child."

Mr. Buerger flushed, "And how exactly did that child die that made the war begin?"

Pride fought to hide his smirk, the Ishvalan Civil War really was one of Envy's greatest achievements. It wouldn't have been possible without his aid though, which is what made it all the more impressive. "The child was shot in a very... unfortunate accident."

"Wrong! The child became involved in a skirmish-"

Selim narrowed his eyes, "There were no riots until after the child was murdered; it was an isolated incident that spark the Ishvalan War of Extermination."

"I thought we all went over that it is officially termed as the Ishvalan Conflict."

Selim shrugged, "Call it what you will, but genocide is genocide no matter how you look at it."

Mr. Buerger's nostrils flared, "If I recall correctly, it was your father who ordered that genocide."

Pride remained indifferent, "I don't see how this pertains to the question. I thought we were discussing the cause of the Ishvalan Civil War."

"And I already told you that you were incorrect!"

"And I'm saying that you're the one who's wrong." Selim sighed, "Let's look it up, where's that textbook you have been blatantly disregarding?"

Selim pointed to the page with a smirk, watching Buerger pale in frustration.

The teacher shut up after that, continuing his lecture as he sent Selim to the principal with a beet red face.

Pride only smirked in amusement as he strolled to the office. Maybe he could leave early because of this.

Humans really are pathetic creatures.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Chapter 24**

* * *

Chapter 24:

On those good days when Selim was sent home from school early with a suspension, he had taken to wandering the streets for hours just lost in thought with Kage perched on his shoulder.

The bird seemed more than happy to get out of the house when Selim had walked by there to drop off his meager amount of school supplies, and Selim was just glad he still had one thing that hadn't changed.

While everyone else walked on eggshells around him - with his mother being the only exception - Kage was the only one who acted the exact same.

Sure, he was just an old bird, but Selim could admire his loyalty. He always used to think that he was rather loyal himself, but he wasn't even sure about that anymore.

Pride sank down onto a nearby bench, surveying the park that he had drifted into.

Children ran wild, screaming as they raced about a rusted playground.

(He never could understand the human fascination with climbing, especially in the younger ones.)

Kage cawed in surprise, hopping onto Selim's head as someone erupted into giggles behind him.

Pride spun around, feeling his shadows tense as he glared at the fool who dared to harm his bird.

Kage hopped off his head and back to his shoulder as he stood up and crossed his arms. "Why did you touch my bird?"

He stared at the child before him, a slight smirk forming on his face.

The child was a miniature Fullmetal, complete with the cape and everything. The only thing missing was the automail limbs.

The miniature smiled up at him, completely oblivious to the danger he was in. "Hi, mister! I'm Henry!" The kid was grinning stupidly at Selim.

Pride looked at the child in a mixture of disgust before quickly schooling his features into a more collected expression.

There was only one idiot who he could think of that would have a son just as stupid as he was.

"Are you by any chance related to the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Selim asked curiously even though he knew the answer.

The boy nodded with a proud grin, "He's my dad!"

(Score one for Pride, zero for Fullmetal.)

Now he knew for sure that Fullmetal's family was in Central, he could...

His internal plotting ground to a halt.

(He could do what?)

He didn't exactly want to kill Fullmetal's family; he'd rather not deal with his mother's reaction to that.

(It wasn't that he was against killing innocents - that would be ridiculous.)

"You alright there, mister?" Henry asked worriedly, leaning forward to view Selim's face better.

Selim waved his hand, "Yes, sorry, I was thinking."

The boy frowned thoughtfully, "Do you know my dad?"

Pride snorted, "Yes, I do."

The boy's eyes lit up, "Were you with him in the army?"

He couldn't help but grin a little at that, "No, I definitely wasn't."

"Aww," the kid deflated a little.

"I did know him while he was an alchemist though."

"You did?" The kid's grin was back, "Was he awesome?"

Selim chuckled slightly, feeling nauseous at having to entertain the child. "He wasn't bad though, I'll give him that."

(Ed couldn't have been bad if he had defeated him at the height of his power, though he was already extremely weakened at the time...)

"Mister, you're doing it again."

"Sorry," Selim pulled himself out of his thoughts. "I was just remembering the times that I fought your father - eh, alongside him, of course."

The kid either didn't notice the slip or ignored it. "You fought with him? I thought you said you weren't in the army!"

"I wasn't, but everybody had a role to play in that time." He smiled, "Your father played a very important role."

(The homunculi's plan wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the human sacrifices.)

The boy bounced up and down, "I knew it! Dad won't tell me anything about what he did, I think he's scared that I will want to do the same thing that he did when I grow up."

(Pride couldn't help but shudder at the thought of a second Fullmetal; he was fine with only one.)

"Henry! Honey, who is this?" Winry came up from behind Henry; she must have been searching the jungle gym for him.

"Um," the kid frowned. "Well, now that you mention it, I don't I ever got your name..."

Selim grinned pleasantly, "Selim Bradley, pleased to meet you." He held out his hand, not expecting Winry to return the gesture.

"Selim Bradley?" She didn't look very happy - if her paling face and shaking voice were anything to go by.

"That would be me." He was enjoying this far too much.

Henry nodded, "He was telling me all about dad!"

(The runt didn't need to mention that. Sure, he was being nice to the kid - but that was only to gather information.)

Selim crossed his arms, this was a bit too much fun to leave just yet. "Elric didn't tell me that he brought his family with him to Central."

"We just arrived a day ago," Winry answered, her eyes steely as she put a firm hand on Henry's shoulder.

"So does that mean Elric isn't worried about the situation here then?" Selim mused, "To tell his family that it's okay to come to Central means he must be okay with everything here."

"He told me to be careful and that as long as I'm in a public area then I should be okay." Winry ground out, "And to remind you to remember your mother."

Pride scoffed, "That's low, even for him." He crossed his arms, "It would ruin all my fun if I just got locked up in some cell."

"So you are planning something!"

"No, not really." Pride shrugged, "I just like keeping everybody on their toes." He spun on his heel, Kage flapping his wings in annoyance at the sudden movement. "I'll see you around, Mrs. Elric, Henry."

He could hear Winry scolding Henry for wandering off without her and talking to strangers.

"But mom, he was really nice!" Henry protested as Winry dragged him away.

Selim returned to wandering, strolling down the street as he casually checked his watch. "Kage, what should I do with this information?"

The bird cocked his head and looked at him curiously.

Selim shrugged, disturbing Kage slightly. "I'm sure it will be useful later," he turned down another back alley as he navigated his way back to his home. "I hope Mother won't be too disappointed by my latest suspension." He chuckled, "Maybe this will convince her that keeping me in school is pointless."

Kage's rattling chortle filled his ears; magpies were notoriously loud.

Selim rubbed his ringing ear, "Am I supposed to know what that means?"


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Chapter 25**

* * *

Selim flipped the page idly, his eyes racing down the words as he read the book in front of him.

Mrs. Bradley was crocheting something - possibly at hat - in the seat by the radio. She frowned, counting her stitches before releasing a sigh and ripping out the intricate weaving.

"Maybe you should try a simpler pattern, Mother." Selim suggested.

Kage bobbed his head in agreement from his perch near the window.

His mother only sighed, "I used to be able to crochet so well, but I can't seem to recall the exact number of stitches I need."

"Isn't it ten stitches an inch?" Selim mused, turning the page again.

She counted the stitches that she had remaining, "You're right! Selim, how did you know that?"

(Only the sillouette of a large, hulking giant could be seen in the dim lighting. The giant was gingerly holding a set of needles and yarn, occasionally moaning in frustration as he painstakingly pulled out some stitches.)

The homunculus shrugged, "I've picked up some odd facts along the way."

Mrs. Bradley glanced around, "Speaking of odd, what time is it?"

"Almost seven, why?"

"Oh no!" Mrs. Bradley carefully set aside her needles and yarn, "Selim, grab your coat; we're late!"

Selim only sat down his book, "Late for what?"

"It's the oddest thing, but Fuhrer Mustang insisted that we go."

"Go where?"

"Out to dinner with an emissary from Xing," his mother responded, searching for a hand hold to pull herself up with.

Selim made his way over to her and helped her to her feet, "You really should consider a walking aid, Mother."

"Now, Selim, don't try to put me in a coffin before I'm dead."

He grabbed his mother's coat, handing it to her before grabbing his own. "So why must we go to dinner with an emissary from Xing?"

"Apparently the emperor there wants to hear of your progress." Mrs. Bradley grabbed his wrist, "Selim, you must be on your best behavior tonight, do you understand me?"

Selim comment died in his throat as he saw the sincerity on his mother's face. "Of course, Mother. Don't worry."

* * *

A man sitting alone at a table checked his pocket watch, waving away a waiter that approached him.

The man noticed the duo approaching him and stood, putting his pocket watch away as he bowed politely. "Mrs. Bradley, and young Selim."

Pride contained his annoyance at that comment.

"I am Hansel Jian, emissary for Amestrian and Xingese relationships."

"Don't be rude." His mother reminded him quietly.

With a quiet sigh, Pride directed his gaze to the man. "Hello, I'm Selim Bradley."

The man ran a hand through his black hair with a smile, "Nice to meet you, Selim.

"So what is the occasion for this dinner?" Pride questioned lightly, feeling his facade slip into place with ease.

Hansel remained unfazed, his green eyes twinkling. "Just a friendly visit, the emperor wished to hear news of Madame Bradley's health."

Selim nodded slowly, "Be sure to send him my regards."

Hansel perked up, "Do you know the emperor?"

Pride shook his head, "I have never had the honor."

"He accepts visitors of all sorts, it would not be hard to arrange a meeting."

The homunculus shook his head, immediately knowing the result of that.

(After all, Ling could sense the souls in the Philosopher's stone; that would only serve as a hindrance in the long run.)

"I am honored, Mr. Jian, but I must decline. Perhaps one day."

Mr. Jian nodded understandingly, "Well, let us not stand here chatting idly all day."

He pulled out a chair for Mrs. Bradley and returned to his own. Selim sat down, watching Hansel carefully. He couldn't come to a conclusion on Jian as easily as he used to be able to.

Mrs. Bradley thanked Jian kindly, opening the menu to browse the food choices. "What do you like to eat, Mr. Jian?"

He straightened his glasses and blinked, "I prefer the sandwiches here - those aren't as popular in Xing."

"It's always interesting to try something different," Mrs. Bradley mused, looking curiously at the side foldout of the menu. "Selim, what is a... I can't even pronounce it..."

Selim leaned over and frowned at the menu, "Don't get it, you won't like it at all."

"It doesn't sound that bad from the description."

Jian only leaned back in his chair, watching the display with mild amusement.

"Your name is odd for a Xingese man, Hansel Jian..." Pride mused, drawing the conversation back to the emissary.

He nodded his head, running a hand though his salt-and-pepper hair. "My mother was Amestrian and demanded that I have an Amestrian name, but I still received my Xingese father's name."

"What is wrong with a traditional Xingese name?" Selim questioned.

"My mother claimed that I needed a link to her heritage along with my father's, so they came to that conclusion." He withdrew a gold pocket watch from his pocket, "I'll have to leave you all after we've received the check, I have an appointment with the Fuehrer."

"The life of an emissary must be busy," Mrs. Bradley responded. "Don't let us make you late."

The waiter approached the table, "Sorry to interrupt, but are you all ready to order?" He recorded their orders with practiced ease, asking the correct questions and occasionally prompting for an additional sale. "I will be sure to tell the kitchens to hurry, we wouldn't want to hold you all up unnecessarily." He told them politely, walking away as he scanned the order sheet.

"Is your life always so stop and go?" Mrs. Bradley asked after the waiter had gone, "Or do you have another job on the side?"

Jian laughed, "I have no need for another job, but I do practice some alkahestry occasionally."

Selim felt a flash of fear hit him, "Are you very advanced?"

"I like to pretend, but I have issue tuning in to the flow of the Earth as easily as talented users do. The emperor is amazing when he practices."

Selim huffed slightly, disguising it as a cough, "Sounds fascinating."

Mrs. Bradley kicked him under the table, but he wasn't going to apologize for something that wasn't a direct insult.

He caught sight of rapid movement outside the window, spotting the Elric brothers observing the menu. Alphonse was still surveying the menu posted outside the door while Ed was already loosing interest and shaking his head. Alphonse froze, suddenly looking into the cafe and meeting Selim's eyes with startling accuracy.

Finding his thoughts drawn to the intricacies of the craft, he mused, "Alkahestry is truly fascinating,"


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Chapter 26**

* * *

Pride sat in one of the plush chairs in his house, pretending to be engrossed in a book.

(He had read this one when it first came out over forty years ago.)

His mother was pacing around the kitchen thoughtfully, glancing under the cabinets and pulling out drawers occasionally. "Selim, have you seen that silver package?"

Selim flipped the page idly, completely engrossed in the tragic tale of the knight sacrificed by his kingdom to slay an immortal dragon. It was impossible, but the knight's loyalty was too strong for him to abandon his orders. If he was to die, it was to be by the command of his king.

"Selim!"

The homunculus jumped at the sound of his mother's furious voice, immediately marking his place in his book and placing it to the side. "What was that, mother?"

Mrs. Bradley crossed her arms in annoyance, "I was asking you if you had seen the silver package that had arrived about a month or two ago." She opened another cabinet and jumped as a pot fell out, shattering on the floor by her feet.

Selim was on his feet, carefully gathering the shards of the pot, "You really must be more careful, Mother."

She warily stepped around the ceramic shards and began searching an old wicker basket near the phone. "Someone didn't put the pot back in the cabinet correctly.

"We need more cabinets for your expanse of cooking utensils." Selim defended, tossing out the shards of pot.

His mother shook her head, "What have I told you about being rude, Selim?" She sighed, "You just can't get the concept of respect, can you?"

Selim was taken aback, "I didn't mean to be rude, mother." He apologized quietly. "You said it was a silver package?"

"Yes, apparently it was a gift from Mr. Jian that was sent a little too early, he was asking if we had received it yet."

Kage lowered his head guiltily as Selim looked over at the bird perched on his usual coat rack. "What did you do with it?"

The bird only bobbed his head, feigning innocence.

Selim immediately knew where to look, Kage would horde all of his favorite shiny objects in one area - the small, cramped space under the couch. He walked over to the couch as Kage cawed and screeched for him to stop. It wasn't hard to spot the fist-sized silver package hidden under the couch.

"You found it!" Mrs. Bradley cheered, her earlier anger disappearing in her excitement to see the new gift. She ripped it open with no regard to the box, only wishing to get to the present concealed within. "They certainly put a lot of wrapping paper on this..." She commented, finally reaching the lid and opening it up.

Inside lay an intricately patterned flashlight, its small silver body was almost comically short compared to the size of the bulb that it contained. Mrs. Bradley pulled it out and swung it around, pointing it away from her as she searched for the on switch. She grinned as she located the switch that had been cleverly painted in order for it to blend into the casing. "Well, isn't this a nice little flashlight?" She pointed the beam at Selim lightly, "It's very strong for such a little-"

The pain was excruciating, "Stop! No!" He could feel his shadow peeling away from beneath him, the light from the flashlight was unnaturally bright like a condensed beam of unfiltered sunlight.

His mother stopped immediately, throwing down the flashlight with a gasp of horror. "What just happen-"

Selim snatched the flashlight off the floor, turning it off and resisting the urge to destroy it. He glanced over the intricate machine with a scowl. "Not an alchemist... Lie." He snarled, still shaking slightly from the exposure to the light.

He marched off to his room, trying to ignore the torrent of questions raging in his mind. He had a lot of information that he needed to gather, but there was still one issue that he had to take care of first. He rolled the flashlight in his palm, listening to the rattle of the machinery inside. "How am I going to dispose of this?"

A loud beeping caught his attention from his bedside table, but a shadow quickly silenced it as it sliced through cheap plastic and copper wires. He was still suspended, so the hours of the day held no real meaning for him.

He located a small towel, wrapping the flashlight in it and stuffing it into his pocket. "Kage," he whispered quietly, waiting for the bird to appear.

No response.

He whistled lowly, smirking as he finally heard the flutter of wings as Kage arrived in his room. He directed the bird to his desk, allowing him to land, as Pride walked to the window. He retrieved a small tube and a piece of paper from his desk, quickly writing down a quick note on it. He rolled the paper, sliding it into the tube and then tying the tube to Kage's leg.

"I need you to take this to a badger for me, and hurry back. I need some help tracking someone down."

* * *

Elysia darted out the door, racing down the stairs in a successful attempt in escaping the initial rush of students. School was out and she had to get home before anything could happen. It didn't matter if Pride was suspended, nothing was stopping him from hunting her down at school.

(No flash bombs, no protection.)

She knew Uncle Roy was trying to help, but he gave her those flash bombs in the first place!

(So what if she would get in trouble if the school found them. She'd rather be on suspension from school than dead and stuck in eternal agony in a Philosopher's stone.)

She skidded to a halt as she saw a large black and white bird take off with a caw when it spotted her.

(No flash bombs, no protection.)

She broke into a run, if she could just make it home before he got there then she would be okay. He wouldn't kill her in front of her mother, or so she hoped.

"Elysia!"

Her heart plummeted to her feet as she saw Pride leaning against the railing on the staircase leading to her apartment. He was blocking the only entrance. She needed to run away and find somewhere to hide.

"I know," he almost laughed at the terrified look on her face, but that wouldn't help matters. "Big scary monster, I get it. Can you at least hear me out for a few minutes?"

Elysia's mind ground to a halt.

(He knew she was acting this whole time and he hadn't killed her yet?)

He pushed off the rail and walked down to stand closer to her, careful to still keep his distance though. "You've been scared of me ever since the dance, and I-" He bit his tongue; he hated trying to sympathize with humans. "I understand." There, he said it. "I also don't want to force you to be my friend either, there's no point to your pathetic act." The screams were getting louder. "So, you know where to find me." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "I just want you to know that I wouldn't hurt you - and you're pathetic for thinking otherwise."

He took off down the street without another word, rubbing his temples furiously.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Chapter 27**

* * *

Chapter 27:

Selim found himself with much more time to stay at home and think now that he had successfully eliminated the requirement of school - for a few more days. When the suspension was up he would have to devise a new plan. He had plenty of time to plan though.

"Selim," Mrs. Bradley appeared frustrated about something as she walked into the kitchen to root through the fridge. "Fuehrer Mustang has asked me to have Hansel over for dinner tonight."

"I can't oppose the Fuehrer anymore, so I suppose we have to treat him to dinner." Pride answered bluntly, observing his fingernails. He was seated at the kitchen table surrounded by history books. One of his favorite pastimes had become a sort of game called  _Spot-the-Error_ , for every mistake he found in the history books, the humans would pay him money for finding it. "Hansel doesn't have to be seen again afterwards, does he?" It was hard to tell if he was joking or not about the matter.

"Selim." There was a cautionary tone in her voice as her eyebrows drew together in frustration. "Why must you try so hard to deny it?" He wouldn't kill someone in front of her - and he knew that.

"Deny what?"

Mrs. Bradley ignored his question with a shake of her head. "I'm sure the Fuehrer has some motives behind these meetings."

"If a Xingese citizen kills a man, who deals with the trial?" Pride mused, fixing his eyes on the ceiling in thought as he rocked back in his chair. "Xing can't claim legal rights without making Amestris seem inferior to them. Amestris can't claim legal rights without a full review of Xingese law to check for all accidental and self-defense murder laws." His chair legs came down with a thud as he leaned forward. "It would be a legal nightmare over my death. Both countries would come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be worth it."

Mrs. Bradley frowned, "I'm sorry, dear, you know King always dealt with the legal matters. I'm afraid I never could quite get the hang of the legal system."

Selim sighed, shoving one book to the side as he reached for a new one. "I'm sure there's no ulterior motives for this, Mother."

* * *

Pride was glaring daggers at the door when a knock resounded from it. He quickly closed the history book that he had been pouring through for the past few hours and crossed his arms. "I'll get it."

Mrs. Bradley, sensing the potential fight, rushed to the door. "Don't worry, I'm already over here!" She opened the door cautiously, but the tall Xingese man was nowhere in sight. She released a sigh of relief and observed the shorter man standing on the doorstep. "Can I help you?"

Earth Dog ran a hand through his blond hair, "Did I get the wrong house? Stripe told me this was it, I'm sorry!" He squeaked, "I just need to find a- um..."

"Let him in," Pride drawled, his glare weakening. "I specifically told him not to seek me out though..."

"Is he one of your friends from school, Selim?" She asked, sounding unsure about her conclusion.

Earth Dog certainly wasn't old, but the badger had to be at least in his early twenties.

"Of course, Mother." He felt a flash of frustration simmer in him - he hated lying to his mother.

Mrs. Bradley slowly took a step to the side, giving the chimera room to walk in. "I'll go get you two some snacks."

"That sounds great!" Earth Dog perked up with a broad grin, he glanced around the room. "So where's Pri-"

"I'm right here, badger." Pride answered once his mother was out of the room. "I hope you have something to report and just aren't here on a visit. I distinctly recall telling you not to seek me out." His voice had taken on its eerie distorted tone.

Earth Dog gulped and sank into his chair, "I'm sorry, Mister Pride, I really am. We couldn't find your bird, and I had some information that you might want to know about that man-"

"You're here now, and Mother isn't going to be back for another five minutes." He crossed his arms, "Just tell me what you know and I'll decide whether or not to ignore your mistake."

Earth Dog gulped, "Right, sir. Well, I think it might be good to know that Hansel John- eh, Jian, is good friends with Ling Yao."

Pride scoffed, "I could have told you that, who else would know my weakness and be able to exploit it like he did?" He tried not to shudder as he remembered the pain from the flashlight still wrapped up and stored in his vest pocket.

Earth Dog shifted uncomfortably, his animal instincts were screaming at him like they always did whenever he was around the homunculus. "Weakness?"

"Do I look stupid enough to tell everyone?" Pride snapped, "We don't have much time, go on."

He released one shadow to peer into the kitchen, its red eye snapping into existence from the shadow under the cabinets. Mrs. Bradley was almost done arranging some crackers on a plate. A pang of regret hit him, but he still managed to topple the plate without revealing himself. A second shadow eased the plate to the floor, ensuring that it didn't break - that wouldn't be fair to his mother.

Earth Dog startled at the noise of the plate hitting the floor, but plunged back into his report. "Striped Head did some digging too, and we found out that Emperor Yao has been talking to Fuehrer Mustang a lot recently. The telephone line directly between Amestris and Xing has never been used this much."

"How reliable is that information?"

Earth Dog grinned widely at that, "Stripe and I have been working as repairmen for the phone lines, I even got a line tap onto it." He scratched his head, "I can't quite figure out how to get it to work though."

Pride waved his hand, "We can work on that later, I need to know everything that you've learned."

Earth Dog nodded, "I was getting to it! Anyways, the old man and his buddy were able to lift some of the incoming mail from Xing-"

"How did they manage to steal classified mail?" Pride's voice fell out of its distorted echo in his surprise. "That's impossible for a couple of harebrained-"

"It wasn't classified!" Earth Dog crowed, "We took our time getting back to you because the code was insanely hard to crack, but once we did, it became obvious what the letter was saying."

"Do you have this letter?"

Earth Dog handed him a decently sized stack of papers, "I've got the originals there, my annotations, and the translation key."

Pride glanced over the pages, "You translated these on your own?"

Earth Dog nodded, "For the most part, I mean, Stripe helped a bit."

Pride almost laughed, "I suppose you're still useful to me then." He stood up, ushering Earth Dog towards the door. "I expect you to use the bird next time to communicate a meeting place." He crossed his arms, "We can't have Mustang more suspicious of me than he already is."

"Wait!" Earth Dog yelped, stepping outside the door and turning to face Pride. "There's something that the letter mentions about Xing trying to amplify things like flashlights-"

Pride scowled, "I already know about that, keep searching for information."

He was almost shoving Earth Dog out of the door, but the chimera seemed discontent with the report that he had given. Pride wasn't worried about the extra embellishments and useless data that they had probably collected though - this decoded letter was more than enough.

"Keep searching for information." Pride slammed the door in Earth Dog's face.

"Was that the door?" Mrs. Bradley called from the kitchen.

"He was in a hurry to get home before it got too late." Pride answered swiftly, glancing at the papers in his hand then at the kitchen before rushing up to his room.

Once he had safely arrived in his room, he scanned over the original letter - an obscure thing talking about camels - before glancing at the translation notes and the annotations.

If he hadn't already guessed it, then the contents of the letter would have shocked him into silence. As it was though, he mustered an annoyed sigh as his suspicions were confirmed. It contained the details of a plan for Jian to infiltrate his life as thoroughly as possible, observing his every move and report back to Greed's vessel with all of his suspicious actions. The man was outfitted with flash bombs and several more flashlights like the one he kept under constant guard. The only hope he had left was that his identity still seemed to be under wraps as all that this letter had was a minimal description of him as he was in his container - pathetic data collection, really.

Based on Jian's knowledge of alkahestry and his connections to Mustang, he couldn't bet on Jian not knowing who he was - and he was beginning to suspect why Jian was here. This was all a check-up, like a probation officer checking on a parolee.

Pride could feel his lip curling in distain. He was doing nothing wrong - are these pathetic humans so insecure in their almost fifteen-year-old victory that they couldn't let him live in peace?

His shadows curled around his feet as he leaned out his window and whistled. Kage fluttered onto the windowsill with a caw, bobbing his head nervously at the shadows. No matter how many times he had tried reassuring the animal that the shadows were safe, they still inspired some instinctual fear in Kage.

"I need you to stay with me, I've got a plan."

The bird cawed again in confirmation and hopped onto the homunculus' outstretched arm, making his way to his shoulder. Pride glanced at the letter one more time, noting the fact that while the sender was obviously using a false name, the recipient was listed as Jian. Did the humans not realize that the letter could very easily be intercepted? Or was Greed's vessel really that arrogant?

Arrogance can be deadly.

At the moment though, he couldn't afford to entertain the possibility that the letter was false. It was better to keep his guard up and have the letter turn out to be false than to be caught off guard.

Kage cackled, his crackling caw filling the room as he leaned down to observe the letter. Pride moved it away before his sharp beak could reach it, "I still need this paper, Kage."

He leaned down, releasing a few shadows to pry at the floorboards.

Kage fluttered his wings nervously.

"You're fine, Kage." Pride huffed, running his hands along the wooden boards.

With a low groan, one board began to move upwards as his shadows wedged under it. He pulled it free with a grin as he placed the flashlight and the papers in the hole along with a variety of other odds and ends: a state alchemist pocket watch, an ancient-looking revolver, a map displaying Amestris after its birth among other treasures.

"Selim! Our guest is here!"

An involuntary grin spread across his face as he silently pushed the board back down, leaving no sign that he had ever tampered with it.

"I'll be right there, Mother!" He yelled back to her, barely able to contain his shadows.

He pulled them back with minimal effort though as he composed himself into the image of a perfect son. Jian has no reason to suspect him if he hasn't already figured out the truth. If he has, well, that's all the more unfortunate that it is for him. The truth can be a dangerous thing.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Chapter 28**

* * *

Chapter 28:

Hansel was standing in the entryway talking cordially to Mrs. Bradley when Pride finally made his way downstairs with Kage perched on his shoulder.

Hansel's nose wrinkled at the sight of the magpie. "I have a horrible allergy to birds. It has something to do with their feathers and the oils on it." He suddenly looked nervous as he glanced around, "Does that bird have free reign in this house?"

Mrs. Bradley shot a quick look at Selim, but he shrugged and walked over to open the window. Pride tried to hide his annoyance as he held his hand to his shoulder. Kage hopped on, giving Pride the opportunity to give the bird a simple command, "Track." Kage cawed and flew away, most likely to position himself outside so he could follow Hansel when he left.

Pride smiled at Hansel, "My apologies, mister detective. Kage is a surprisingly clean bird though, magpies are known for their intellect."

The man adjusted his glasses, frowning slightly at Pride's polite manner. "I'm just not a big fan of allergic reactions."

Pride nodded, filing the information away for use later. "I understand, should we keep peanuts out of the dishes for dinner?"

Hansel's eyes narrowed, but he played along with Pride's game. "Well, I'm sure your lovely mother has prepared a delicious meal for us already. It is fortunate that I don't have a peanut allergy."

Mrs. Bradley nodded quickly, trying to separate the two from their stand-off, "I've prepared a great dinner for us."

Pride bounced on his heels, hiding his anxiety with impressive skill. His mother was on the verge of a meltdown, he could already imagine the little puffs of steam erupting from her ears. "Let's not let dinner get cold then."

Mrs. Bradley's years of cooking classes and baking always shown through in her meals. She never left out one detail, taking care to be sure that the meals look just as good as they tasted. The wide spread contained a baked chicken as the center display, surrounded by smaller dishes of vegetables and pitchers of water and tea.

Hansel grabbed the pitcher of water and eyed Pride's glass. "Would you like some more water?"

Pride almost laughed, the man wasn't even trying to be subtle. "That would be nice."

He couldn't hide his smirk as he watched the powder - poison, probably - pour out of Hansel's sleeve into his glass with the water. He could easily switch the two glasses, but that would be no fun. Hansel must have gotten in contact with Mustang fully, but he thought that Mustang had not deemed him as a threat. He really was stupid for toying with the idea that he could live in peace. He took a long drink from the glass, whatever poison it was, it shouldn't have a major effect on him and the amount that Hansel had loaded his drink with wasn't a lot.

He vaguely wondered what it was that he had just ingested, but he wasn't too worried about it.

Hansel looked almost smug from his seat at the table as the night went on.

Pride felt the beginning pangs of pain start a few hours later, this was going to be a rough week.

* * *

Mother had insisted that they sit out in the living room and talk endlessly for hours after dinner. She was probably hoping that she could get Selim to at least be cordial to the man. As if that was possible.

Pride rolled his eyes as Hansel continued the story of his first foray into Amestris, explaining how he had trekked across the desert for almost a week and had stopped in the ruins littered throughout the path for shelter. He hadn't missed Hansel watching him carefully throughout the night either - the idiot must expect poisons to work instantaneously.

Mrs. Bradley listened politely and laughed when it was necessary. "So do you know which ruins that you stopped in?"

"I would assume some of them were Xerxian, but I was never good with languages outside of Amestrian and Xingese." Hansel replied with a grin, "There's a reason why I'm the dignitary for Amestris and Xing."

"Doesn't the emperor speak Amestrian as well though?" Selim asked, feigning ignorance.

Hansel nodded slowly, "He certainly can't be expected to travel back and forth between Xing and Amestris constantly though." He stood up, excusing himself to find a bathroom. "Excuse me for one moment."

Pride sat back; his limbs were beginning to feel slightly numb - probably from sitting for so long. He glanced around before standing up to search for his book.

A low creak echoed from above his head - the bathroom was only around the corner, definitely not up the stairs. He sighed, sometimes humans really were so simpleminded. He wasn't stupid enough to leave anything incriminating out in the open, not that he actually had many incriminating things. "I believe I left my book in my room." He said calmly, proceeding down the narrow hallway and up the dark stairwell.

Mrs. Bradley didn't move to stop him, she had no reason to. She was aware that something was completely off with this dinner visit, but she couldn't do anything without it seeming like she was paranoid.

Pride was careful to be as silent as possible as he proceeded up the stairs. His legs were still numb, but that only served to delay him - not stop him. Hansel wasn't even trying to be discreet now, openly bouncing his heel on the floorboards in a search for a loose board. Selim leaned into his room and fixed a look of confusion on his face, "The bathroom is downstairs, I didn't think it was that hard to find..."

Hansel straightened his glasses and laughed, "I knew something was off when I found a bed instead of a toilet."

"I'm sure it's a common mistake with you." Hansel was completely oblivious to the shadow growing behind him. Pride had had enough.

Dinner was over.

The shadow struck, knocking out Hansel with striking precision as the Xingese man slumped to the floor. Pride looked at the man, then at his door. It now seemed like a better idea to have had Hansel walk himself to a better place to knock him out. What was done was done though, and Pride easily manipulated his shadows to carry the man out of his room and partially down the stairs. He carried him the rest of the way for his mother's sake.

"I believe Hansel had too much to drink, Mother." Selim commented, "That must have been rice wine that he had tucked in that container in his sleeve. I found him passed out in my room of all places."

Mrs. Bradley looked disapproving, whether it was with him or Hansel was debatable. "I'll go call a taxi for him. And then I'll be calling Mustang, this cannot be happening again if he expects me to host guests!"

Selim felt a rush of relief hit him, she must not have figured it out. She truly was oblivious to it all despite her knowledge.

His mother paused as she walked out of the room to call Mustang, "And Selim, aiming for the neck is much easier than the back of the head."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Chapter 29**

* * *

Elysia burst through the doors into the office of Central Command, rushing past the secretary's desk in her hurry to reach the upper floors.

"Wait! Miss!"

Elysia slowed down and turned to the secretary who had stopped her, "Yes?"

"The Fuehrer has already left for lunch, he said for you to meet him at the cafe near the plaza."

Elysia groaned, "Of course he leaves while I'm rushing here to catch him."

The secretary frowned slightly at her less-than-enthusiastic response to the Fuehrer's lunch plans with her. "May I ask, who are you again?"

Elysia sighed, "He can wait on me a little longer." She collapsed into a chair near the door, "I'm Elysia Hughes."

The secretary pursed her lips and tapped her pencil on the desk, "Hughes... Hughes..." She froze, holding her pencil up triumphantly. "Oh! You're Maes Hughes' daughter!"

Elysia frowned; she hadn't been called that for years. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"I meet your father, good man, he was looking for a telephone and making a huge ruckus in the back room..."

That sounded like the loud man that her mother would tell stories about, gazing sadly at his picture. "Really? Do you remember when that was?"

The secretary frowned and glanced at a calendar, "It was before the blackout so..." Her pencil returned to drumming the desk.

Elysia almost gasped when the woman listed off the date of her father's death. She wasn't even listening as the woman continued to drone on, completely oblivious to the fact that the first day she had seen the man had been his last.

"It had to be that day, because I met my husband the week after that incident, it could've been the day after though..."

Elysia looked down at her hands, "I really shouldn't keep Unc- eh, Fuehrer Mustang waiting like this." She got up from her seat, "Have a nice day!"

She was out the door before the secretary could respond.

Mars Hughes' death was listed as accidental, but there was really no evidence to base it on – according to the reports it was just a drive by shooting on Central command by some pro-Ishvalan supporters. It was nothing unusual at the time, so no one would've questioned it. The secretary had seen him searching for a phone, and he was shot outside by a pay phone.

She noticed something out of the corner of her eye and paused. It was lurking there like a specter on the fringes of her vision. She directed her attention to it and looked at the old pay phone looming beside her, almost mocking in its stillness - as if it knew all the answers she was searching for.

A chill raced down her spine as she hurried past, she was being ridiculous.

* * *

Roy Mustang hid his face as an overly eager reporter rushed past his table. The media had been hounding him ever since he became Fuehrer. It seemed Amestris couldn't get enough of the youngest Fuehrer in their history. Elysia was late and while any other person would be worried when their guest was over an hour late, that sort of thing was normal for Elysia. Normally they would tell her an event occurs an hour before it actually does just to get her to arrive on time.

Unfortunately, the person he had sent the message through didn't quite understand that fact and had neglected to tell her an earlier time for lunch.

A commotion by the entrance caught his attention as he spotted Elysia rushing in, late as usual.

"Yes, yes."

"Ma'am! That area is-"

"Off limits, I know. I'm supposed to be here."

Roy checked the surrounding area for media before leaping up and grabbing Elysia in a huge hug. "Elysia! It's been ages!"

"It's only been a day or two, Uncle Roy, really. People are staring." Elysia grumbled, trying to extract herself from the Fuehrer's grip.

Roy released her with a grin, pulling out a chair for her as he returned to his. "So how's my favorite niece been?"

"I'm not really your niece." Elysia retorted with a slight grin.

"That doesn't make me biased!"

A waiter walked up to the table, nervously fidgeting with his bow tie. "Are you ready to order, Mr. Fuehrer?"

Roy looked at Elysia, "Are you ready?"

Elysia glanced at the menu and nodded.

It didn't take long for the red-faced waiter to take their orders and scurry off to the kitchen.

Roy managed to hold back his laughter until after the man was gone. "That never gets old."

Elysia shook her head, "You're abusing your power."

Roy just grinned, "How am I doing anything bad with it?"

"I hear the leader of Drachma abuses his subordinates too."

Roy only laughed, "I am not allowed to comment on that."

The conversation was cut short by the arrival of their food, leaving Elysia with time to plan how she'll bring the topic that she needed to talk about into the conversation.

"So how is everything with Selim?" Roy asked casually, lifting his sandwich to his mouth.

Elysia almost growled, "You were right."

"What was that?" Roy was grinning broadly now.

"I'm sure you'll also be so happy to hear that he figured it out."

Roy choked on his food, coughing and hacking as he gasped for air. "What?"

Elysia sighed, "Your plan included me trying to trick him. Did you really think it would work?"

Roy shook his head, "I was just hoping that we had more time." He put down his sandwich with a grimace. "How long do you think until he goes berserk?"

"I don't think he'd be that obvious with it all."

"So you think he's already started?"

Elysia lowered her voice as their waiter walked by, "He seems to have more power than before, but I can't judge it."

Roy frowned, "I should set the precautions into place then."

Elysia nodded, "He's planning something."

"It was stupid of us to even think for a second that he wasn't." Roy rubbed his temple, "He won't be hard to neutralize, but if he's already planning for this then it will be hard to hold him long enough to get a good hit on him."

"What about Mrs. Bradley?"

Roy deflated, "It's going to be hard to break it to her. She's the only reason that he isn't a pile of ash right now."

Elysia hummed thoughtfully, "Did he know my father?"

Roy froze, "Where did that come from?" He tried to ignore the possibilities that he had thought up years ago that were once again bubbling to the surface of his mind. He already knew that Pride was probably the one who ordered Maes' death. He was the unofficial coordinator to most of the homunculi's actions after all.

Elysia shrugged, "Just thinking is all."

Mustang leaned forward, "Now is not the time to play detective, Elysia. Not with that." He shifted the sandwich on his plate, "Just know that justice was served." He had learned the hard way that the path of revenge could be a vicious cycle.

Elysia didn't look convinced, but let it go. She would be getting nothing else from Roy. She could ask Pride - but it was unlikely that he would even look at her long enough to hear her questions. Even if he did, there was still the chance that he would consider her disposable and remove the obstacle that she could pose. Maybe that wasn't the best route then.

It was an idea worth considering though.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Chapter 30**

* * *

Chapter 30:

Selim still hated school. The reasoning behind sending him to school was - as always - beyond him, but Mother continued to insist that he had to go if he wanted to live a normal life. At least he couldn't be held entirely accountable if he killed someone out of frustration - he had tried to avoid it after all. The loud clatter of students and insulting smells of the lunchroom weren't helping either. Pride wrinkled his nose as he entered, holding his own lunch close to him. If only the idiotic headmaster would finally take his requests into account and allow special permission for him to eat elsewhere - but school policy only allowed for lunch in the lunchroom.

On the bright side, it wasn't hard to find an open seat when you don't have any friends to sit with.

He felt a sting of regret as he remembered William, the kind-hearted boy would never have abandoned him even in light of recent events. Ear-splitting laughter caught his attention and he saw Elysia wasn't far from him, laughing falsely at some joke her acquaintances had made. He felt a sting of annoyance at the childish game she was playing, but he was used to being alone. Nothing really had changed.

"Oops! Oh no! I'm falling!"

Selim felt scorching hot tea splash over his back and neck.

"Oh, man. I'm so sorry; let me help with that- Oops!"

The rest of the tea landed over his head, bringing his indifference to a shuddering halt. A group of overly muscled humans stood behind him, laughing and snickering at his expense. He could feel the skin on his back and neck healing with a few sparks skittering across his skin. At the usage of some power, the souls started roaring at him again - they really never missed on opportunity to make themselves known.

Pride drew himself to his full height; he wasn't as short as he used to be, but the humans still dwarfed him. A flash of dizziness hit him as he stood, but he hid it easily. "Can I help you?"

"Just wondering if you're okay, Selim." One of the humans responded, running a hand through his greasy hair. "That tea was hot - the cafeteria just brewed it."

Selim narrowed his eyes, a shadow was coiling around his leg - it would only take a second to kill the whole group. He could do it in a way that Mustang would never discover, slip the shadow in through the nose. It was a disgraceful way to die, but these humans weren't worthy of an honorable death.

"Hey! How about you go bother someone else?"

Selim was shocked as a hand grabbed his arm. "Elysia, what are you-"

She wasn't looking at him though, "Ms. Carol is right there, I'm sure she'd love to hear about what just happened here."

The lead human held his hands up in surrender and walked away. "Makes you wonder why he isn't in severe pain right now though, doesn't it?" He threw over his shoulder casually as he walked away.

Selim's shadow whipped forward before Elysia could stop him, latching onto the boy's ankle and sending him sprawling onto the floor.

"I thought revenge would be beneath you." Elysia commented with a slight tone of disgust.

Selim smirked slightly, "I never said that."

Elysia scoffed, "You're an arrogant bastard - you know that?"

"It is my nature."

"So you were just going to kill them for that?" Elysia crossed her arms, "What would your mother think of that?"

To his credit, Selim looked ashamed.

Elysia immediately saw her opening, "Look, I don't have to tell anyone about this if you can help me out."

Pride's eye hardened and drew to angry slits, "So you're trying to blackmail me now?"

Elysia wasn't stupid, but it dawned on her far too late that this was a horrible idea.

"I thought you - of all people - would be the least likely to attempt that."

Elysia shifted, remembering Mustang's warnings. "I wasn't threatening you-"

Selim held a hand up, "If I help you, then I expect something in return - and I don't need your silence." He looked more amused than angry now, "If you really thought that would work then you truly may be a hopeless idiot."

"I'm not agreeing to anything until I know what I'm getting into." She ignored the hit to her ego rather well, though she did turn red.

Selim nodded, "I just want you to get me some information. Nothing illegal or threatening to Amestris, this is a personal issue."

Elysia huffed, "You have personal issues?"

"I didn't expect you to understand. I just want you to get the information."

Elysia smirked, "So we both want information, how convenient."

"What do you want then?"

"I need to find someone, and you want information on someone. Do you agree to help me or not?"

Selim crossed his arms, "I don't see what I have to lose from it."

"Great," Elysia said brightly. "Then you can help me find my father's murderer."

Selim frowned, "Who ever said it was a murder? Reports can be faked."

"We can argue this later, I have to go now-"

Selim grabbed her arm, "Without me informing you of your end of the bargain?" He scoffed, "Nice try at evasion. Now, I want you to find information on a man called Hansel Jian and his links to Mustang."

Elysia frowned, "That sounds threatening to Amestris."

"The only one being threatened Hansel Jian."

* * *

Elysia didn't have to go far to find Hansel. She was stopping by Roy's office after school - she needed to see if Hawkeye had found her jacket yet - when she walked right into a huge argument in the main lobby.

"You need to calm down, sir. You won't even have the faintest chance of seeing the Fuehrer if you keep this attitude up."

"This attitude?" The man barked, "You're the one who's been rude to me! I am an emissary from Xing! I have the right to see the Fuehrer!" The man pulled out a badge, waving it in the secretary's face. "This is a matter of urgency!" He certainly wasn't dressed like a Xingese man in his crisp suit, but perhaps the Xingese garb was too outlandish to wear regularly in Amestris. "Tell him that Mr. Jian is here with urgent news. I have to see him!"

She couldn't guess what the homunculus had to do with an emissary; but, if the man's attitude now was any indication, then maybe he felt threatened by Jian's arrogance.

"The Fuehrer has agreed to see me every time for the past few weeks! I have found even more information though! He needs to know this, he's in danger!" Jian growled, "What makes this day so different that he refuses to see me?"

The flustered secretary caught sight of Elysia and nodded discretely towards the elevator. Elysia took the motion as permission for her to head up to Roy's office and walked towards the elevator.

"Wait! Why can a child go up to when I cannot-"

The doors slammed shut, cutting off Jian's rant.

"You've got an interesting visitor down there." Elysia commented as she walked into the blessedly quiet office.

Mustang buried his head in his hands, "I don't know why I ever agreed with Lin- eh, to lend him a hand."

"I found your coat," Hawkeye told her, holding up the missing article of clothing.

"Thanks," Elysia grinned. "It's getting colder and I really didn't mean to leave it here."

Roy grinned, "It's all just an excuse to see your favorite uncle."

"You're my only uncle," Elysia pointed out with a grin.

Roy waved a hand, "Minor details like that ruin the point I was making."

She crossed her arms, "So why is that man so dead-set on talking to you?"

Roy hummed, not seeing the harm in giving Elysia a little information. "He's an emissary from Xing here on Emperor Ling's behalf." He glanced down at the courtyard where a disgruntled Jian could be seen attempting to hail a taxi. "He's supposed to be checking on the situation with Pride, but I have people for that. I suspect Ling knows that Pride's reawakened and wants him dead. He does know more about the homunculi than any other living person." Mustang didn't look too positive as he continued, "The guards on Pride have alerted me that he isn't acting as sharp as usual. Apparently he hasn't even found their new hiding spots even though he's been rooting them out ever since I assigned them to tail him." Roy frowned, "I think that could just be him growing bored of his game though."

"You don't really think that bumbling idiot could pose any threat to them, do you?" Elysia almost scoffed at the idea of Jian posing a threat to Pride.

Mustang shook his head, "But Jian is in a position of power here. Pride can't exactly fight back, but he can certainly drive the man insane if he so desired." He steepled his fingers, "Jian would be playing a risky game, but it wouldn't take much to beat Pride if he could manage that."

Elysia almost looked sick, "He could drive someone insane that easily?"

Hawkeye, who had been listening carefully to the conversation, chimed in. "Jian is a high-ranking emissary in Xing, Pride could get a lot of information out of him."

Roy looked thoughtful, "What could he gain from that though?"

"What would he have to lose?" Hawkeye asked, "We could contact Jian to tell him to stop going around Pride."

Elysia immediately felt this conversation shift from something she could contribute to to something beyond her comprehension. Her previous question had fallen on deaf ears, it was obvious that she was out of place now.

Roy glanced at her, "You might want to get home before your mother starts to worry, Elysia."

"Right," she stood up. "I'll see you guys later."

As she rode the elevator down, it occurred to her that she had done just as Pride requested. She had gathered information on Jian. A slight grin spread across her face at the thrill of excitement that raced through her - she was closer to her goal just by simply having one conversation.

It was fine to play with fire as long as she didn't get burned.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Chapter 31**

* * *

The pain was excruciating. Throughout his long life, Pride had felt a lot of pain, but this body was new, still relatively unscathed from its limited exposure to the world - and that meant that everything hurt a lot more than it used to.

Pride squeezed his eyes shut, placing his hands on the cool concrete below him. Despite the cool weather, he felt like he was on fire - like he was laying on a bed of hot coals. He knew it was the poison that had caused this, but he had underestimated how weak his body was now - severely underestimated. He felt caged, this body wasn't even a simple shell like his last had been. This was his whole essence, and it was burning.

He didn't need to see the sparks to know that his stone was working furiously to resolve the damage that had occurred over the simple span of a few days. He could suppress his healing to an extent so that his stone wouldn't lose power like a slashed gas tank, but he had to allow for healing when it got this bad. Already, he could feel a cooling sensation wash over him as the number of souls in his stone dwindled.

It was going to be pushing it trying to survive this one.

* * *

"Fuehrer Mustang!" The radio on his desk buzzed with static.

"I copy, what's the situation?" He responded, holding the transceiver lazily as he leaned back in his office chair.

"It's the target, sir. He appears to be incredibly weakened, it doesn't look too good."

Mustang could already feel a huge burden beginning to lift from his shoulders, "Is he dying?"

"I've seen this kid get hit with things no human could withstand and bounce back like nothing ever touched him." The radio static cut through the man's speech for a second. "... I don't know enough about his recovery abilities to say for sure, but if he was human, I would say that he's close to death."

Mustang released a huge breath, Pride wasn't human, but that didn't mean that he was as invulnerable as he used to be. "Let him die. We don't need Pride's threat looming over us like he has been."

* * *

Elysia was thoroughly confused when Mrs. Bradley ushered her into her house, seeming like she was relieved to see someone else.

Her confusion only increased when she saw Jian sitting at the table already, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Um, I really appreciate the offer, Mrs. B, but have you seen Selim?"

Mrs. Bradley waved her hand, "I wouldn't worry too much about him, dear. I'm sure he's fine." An almost imperceptible shake of the head from Mrs. Bradley made her drop the topic.

Elysia shot a curious glance between the emissary and Mrs. Bradley. Something was wrong here.

Jian nodded, "I'm sure he's fine. He is almost an adult after all."

There was definitely something wrong here - and Selim was going to go into a murderous rampage because of it.

Mrs. Bradley scoffed, "His age doesn't change anything." She shot a meaningful look at Elysia, "Dear, why don't you see if you can't find where Selim ran off to this time?"

Maybe Pride shouldn't find out about what is happening here - only now did it dawn on Elysia that she may have interrupted a very important conversation. She agreed with Mrs. Bradley, noticing that Selim's bird was gone as well. If he knew what was happening, he would have been there hovering over Jian's shoulder watching for the slightest sign of a threat to his mother. Either Jian somehow managed to trick Pride or there was something else happening that she didn't know about.

She stomped her foot in annoyance as she made her way up to her apartment. Maybe finding out who her father's murderer was wasn't worth the trouble that being around Pride could bring. She hesitated at the door, memories of the times that she would catch her mother crying softly over a photo of her father when she thought Elysia wouldn't be home came rushing back. She shook her head, that hadn't happened in years, it was just her mind trying to justify her hunt for the murderer. She couldn't give up, not just yet. She sighed as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

"Here you are, are you sure you don't want anything else in it?"

"No thank you, Mrs. Hughes."

Elysia gaped at the scene in front of her.

Pride sat on her couch looking slightly pale but holding his composure remarkably well.

He took a sip of the tea that her mother had handed him, "Hello, Elysia. I was just beginning to worry about you."

Elysia looked at the kitchen; her mother appeared unharmed as she happily made more tea.

"Why are you here?" She hissed in annoyance.

He frowned, "I can't come visit my dear friend?"

"No! You can't," she growled.

The homunculus shrugged, "Ah well, you can't kick me out now. What would your mother think?"

If he thought he had her cornered that easily he would have to rethink his strategy. Elysia smirked, "Well, since we're on the topic of surprise home visits, I just left your house. I didn't know Mr. Jian was visiting your mother."

Selim choked on the tea, coughing violently into his arm. "What?"

"They seemed to be in the middle of a rather important discussion."

Pride's lip curled into a slight grin, "I didn't expect him to go for that route so quickly." He suddenly clutched his stomach tightly, but made no further comments.

It looked like he was falling apart. Elysia frowned, "I've barely even told you anything yet and you're already about to be sick?"

"That's not it..." He waved his hand, "Continue, I'm fine."

"That's all I saw."

Pride frowned slightly, but didn't seem surprised. "I suppose I need to uphold my end of the bargain." His voice died down and he clenched his teeth together, "I must leave soon, so what do you want to know?"

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?" Elysia countered, trying to capitalize on his sickly demeanor.

"I could very well say the same about you." Maybe the sickness was an act - his cunning wasn't dulled in the slightest.

Elysia shrugged, "You'll just have to trust me."

Pride nodded, "Then I expect the same of you."

"How about an even exchange?" Elysia offered, "I'll tell you some of what I've learned and if it interests you, I'll make an offer for the information you know."

"I was under the impression that was the agreement to begin with." Pride waved his hand, "You've already held up your end - assuming what you told me about my mother meeting with Jian is true."

Elysia didn't waver, "It is."

Pride nodded his head, "Alright then, you never answered my previous question."

"I don't even know enough to ask-"

"Then I must be leaving."

Elysia wanted to strangled him, "Fine, where should I even start to look?"

Pride pretended to ponder the question before shrugging, "Why not ask the Elric brothers that? I have a reliable source that claims they're staying in a hotel near here."

"Don't tease me!" Elysia growled, "At least give me something useful! What do they have to do with this?"

Pride grinned smugly, "I thought that was a great lead for you." He crossed his arms, "Maybe you could even try to find a picture of the great Alphonse Elric in his late childhood."

"What does that have to do with my father?" Elysia glanced towards to kitchen, but the sounds of the radio droning on convinced her that her mother wasn't listening in.

"It really is connected quite closely."

"Wait! How do I know where he's staying?"

Pride sighed, "I'm going to go find Alphonse anyways. He never left Central and I would like to..." He bit his tongue, "Never mind, let's go."

"Let's? As in you and I?" Elysia gasped.

"Yes, do you not want to find the Elric brothers? I can guarantee you that where there is one, the other isn't far behind"

Elysia got up and shoved past Pride on her way to the door, "I'm only coming because I have a job to do."

"Hardly a job." Pride said smoothly, "I would call it more of an obsession."

She ignored the jab and continued walking. This was all just him trying to get under her skin and she wasn't going to make that an easy task to accomplish.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Chapter 32**

* * *

Hansel Jian crossed his arms, revealing a tattoo of a lithe dragon on his upper arm. "Mustang, we need to talk."

Roy popped the door slightly open, keeping the chain in place to ensure that Jian wouldn't try to muscle his way in despite the man's obvious lack of muscle. "Why are you at my house?"

"Because you refused to see me for any other reason when I try to approach you in your office."

An annoyed sigh resounded from the other side of the door, "Fine, but I'd like you to know that you woke me up. So do not expect me to offer you a drink."

Hansel scoffed, "I never expected you to be a gracious host."

"Maybe if you gave me the proper respect that my rank calls for then I would be more hospitable." Roy suggested with a glare as he opened the door.

Hansel walked in, "My job is vital to the survival of Amestris. I feel that I deserve some respect as well."

"As vital as you believe that your job may be, I can promise you it is of no importance." Roy retorted as he shut the door with a loud bang. "Pride is of no threat as long as he doesn't feel threatened." Roy sat down, fixing Hansel in his firm gaze. "You haven't done anything to endanger that balance, have you?"

"Do I look like a fool?"

"No, but even intelligent men do foolish things." Roy sat back, keeping his composure calm. "For instance, threatening Pride's mother could potentially set him off."

Hansel closed his eyes, memories of the last time he was in Pride's house flickering through his mind. "He's already snapped."

Mustang almost looked nervous as he asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Pride has already attacked me once before - I barely escaped with my life." Waking up in the detox cell reserved for drunk patrons of the local police station hadn't been exactly pleasant either.

Mustang crossed his arms, "Does it have something to do with the fact that you are trying to manipulate Mrs. Bradley?"

Hansel growled, "I would do no such thing!"

"Don't lie to me." Mustang stated coolly, "You're not the only one who knows a thing or two about manipulating people."

Hansel smashed his fist against the seat, "I will do what I have to to ensure my safety!"

"Oh, you've ensured it alright." Mustang drawled, "At the moment, Pride won't kill you because your death might endanger his mother or his fragile peace with me." Mustang leaned forward, "What are you going to do when you no longer need his mother? Release her from your threats and then what? Pride will hunt you down, and I can't say that I'd be willing to try to stop him."

"Then I won't release her!" Hansel snapped, "I will hold his mother until the homunculus is dead! Those are my orders from the Emperor!"

"Are you sure those are your orders from Ling?" Mustang snapped, "I won't let you hold an innocent woman like this! And I doubt he would either!" His face darkened, "And I highly doubt one man will be able to destroy Pride."

Hansel visibly recoiled, "If you tell Ling, then there will be more like me who'll come bacl."

Mustang snapped his fingers, a tongue of flame erupting from his fist. "Are you blackmailing me, Hansel?" He chuckled, "I'm the Fuehrer, and I'm sure I can deal with your replacement. Anyone would be better than you."

Hansel had the nerve to only recoil slightly when the alchemist snapped his fingers, "No blackmail here, Mr. Fuehrer. I simply intend to finish what I started and leave."

It finally clicked in Mustang's head, Pride's sickness wasn't fortune at all. It was Jian's doing. "What did you do?"

"There's no reason to even worry about that." Hansel smirked, "This will all be over soon."

Mustang almost felt a stab of disappointment. Pride was a threat, but there was no denying that he had grown as a danger of his existence outweighed the growth that he had gone through though.

* * *

Pride strolled into the post office with a confused Elysia in tow. The small building was empty except for a bored employee resting his arms on the counter, watching the two potential customers as they entered.

"Why are we at the post office?"

"Do you know where Alphonse is staying?"

Elysia frowned thoughtfully before grinning in triumph, "A hotel!"

Pride could have smashed his head through a wall. Humans were so insufferably slow. "Now please explain to me how you intend to find one man with all of Central's hotels to search?"

"Luck?"

Pride shook his head, "My method is better."

"Please tell me how a post office will solve all of our problems."

Pride didn't answer, instead opting to approach the man behind the counter. "Is there a white-haired man working here today?"

The man frowned, "Why do you ask, sir?"

Pride easily arranged his features to convey annoyance. "I signed off for a package with the idiot the other day, but he switched them! Some other person has my new typewriter while I'm stuck with a dress! The paper I signed said 'typewriter' too! Explain to me how a man confuses a dress for a typewriter?"

The man shifted nervously, "Do you have the dress with you, sir?"

Pride crossed his arms, "Of course I don't! I need to talk to that man so I can find out where my typewriter is! I'll bring the dress after I've spoken to that man!"

The employee released an insufferable sigh, "Terra! There's an angry customer out here to see you!" He walked into the back room, his voice echoing up to the front lobby. "Go fix what you screwed up, you dimwit!"

Earth Dog scurried out of the back, "I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't mean to-" He froze as he saw who the complaining customer was. "Oh! Mister Pride, I- um, I didn't mean to mess up your-"

Pride waved his hand, his anger vanishing in an instant. "You didn't do anything up this time, badger. I need some information."

Elysia glanced between the two, "You have an information network?"

Pride ignored her, focusing on the chimera in front of him. "I need to know the location of Alphonse Elric's hotel and his room number."

"That's a- that's not a problem, Mister Pride." Earth Dog stammered, "Stripe might know though." He raced into the back, "I'll be right back! I need to consult the book!"

Elysia grabbed Pride's shoulder, "You have an information network that allows you to locate people?"

"And more," Pride added. "Don't worry about it - I'm not planning anything big right now."

Elysia huffed, crossing her arms. "I'd hate to see what you classify as big."

The homunculus shrugged, "A few massacres, maybe a war. That would be big."

Earth Dog came running back with a large binder in his hands, oblivious to the look of disgust that Elysia was directing at Pride. "We've been tracking the Elrics on your behalf," he said as he placed the binder down and opened it to a page covered in cheap paparazzi shots of the Elric brothers and Edward's family.

"This is creepy," Elysia commented dryly.

"This is slightly disturbing." Selim agreed, glancing at the collection of pictures.

Earth Dog frowned, "The old geezer you have us teamed with gets bored. So we gave him a camera and told him to photograph anything interesting or suspicious."

"It looks like he was stalking the Elrics." Elysia commented, leafing through a few pages of photos of the Elric brother's backs occasionally obscured by a tree or bush.

Earth Dog shrugged helplessly, "I can't tell him to stop! He's so happy when he comes home with pictures!"

"Just find out where Alphonse is staying," Pride ordered, drumming his fingers lightly on the counter.

Earth Dog jumped, "Of course, Mister Pride! Right away!" He scanned the page, "He should be in room 46B of the Amestris Quality Inn."

"Amestris Quality Inn? Isn't that that cheap hotel on the edge of Central?" Elysia asked.

The chimera nodded in confirmation, "He's in the same room as Edward Elric. It appears that they chose that hotel in an attempt to hide better."

"And Edward Elric and his family are all in this room?" Pride clarified warily.

"It appears so, it could be a double room though." Earth Dog mused, skimming a finger over the notes jotted in the corners of the pictures.

Selim clapped his hands together, looking genuinely pleased. "Excellent! Now we can go right to the Elric brothers instead of going on a wild goose chase around the city." He turned and walked out of the post office without another word.

Earth Dog deflated slightly, "As long as he isn't killing me, then I assume we did alright?"

Elysia nodded, feeling almost bad for the chimera. "He's always like that, don't take it personally." She gave him a short wave as she walked out, Earth Dog waved as well with a smile on his face.

Pride was already halfway down the sidewalk when she spotted him.

"Would you slow down?" She called angrily, "I'm pretty sure Edward will kill you on the spot if he sees you in his hotel!"

"How would he do that?" Pride asked, ignoring the surge of pain that slammed into his gut as he tried to walk faster. Maybe slowing down wasn't such a bad idea. He huffed, trying not to make it obvious that the reason he slowed down was not for Elysia's sake. He leaned against the wall, feeling the cooling affect of his healing once again.

Elysia stopped next to him as he remained resting on the wall. His face was pale; he could feel his lunch rising back up from his stomach.

Elysia leapt backwards as he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the pavement. "What is wrong with you? Can't stomach your own arrogance?"

Pride wiped his mouth with a snarl, "This is what happens when you have an idiot hell-bent on killing you."

Her face fell from anger to confusion, "What?"

"One week is how long it takes for someone poisoned with thallium salt to die." Selim tapped his chin, "It's been three days for me and I'm almost running on empty." His shoulders almost fell, "I have to talk to Alphonse about more than just my mother."

Elysia thought over what he had just said. "Wait... You need help?"


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Chapter 33**

* * *

Winry looked under the bed in the small hotel room, "Ed! I can't seem to find Henry, have you seen him?" She glanced around the room dramatically, holding a hand up to her eyes for the added effect.

Henry fought back laughter as he scurried to remain unseen behind his mother's back. He might have been good at it too if it wasn't for the barely concealed giggles and his habit of bumping into the person he was hiding from.

Ed looked up from the desk, placing a screwdriver down. He winked at Henry and feigned ignorance. "Have you checked in the hall? He may be put there with his truck."

Al looked up from his book, "Winry, he's-"

A screwdriver whacked him in the head, effectively cutting him off. Ed still had his hand up from his throw and he glared at Al, pulling his finger across his throat threateningly. He really was beginning to pick up Winry's habits.

"Oh! I mean, I think he's under the other bed!" Al quickly corrected with an apologetic smile.

A knock on the door interrupted the game and Henry raced to the door to answer it, abandoning his game in favor of greeting the person at the door. He leapt into the air a few times, trying to hold himself at eye level with the peephole. The child gave up with a dramatic sigh, opting to just open the door to see who it was.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Henry cheered in surprise. "It's you again! Are you here to tell me more stories?"

A genuine laugh echoed from the hall, but it sounded a little strained. "Maybe later, Henry. I need to see your uncle, is he here?"

Outside, Elysia was almost surprised at Pride's behavior, but his file had said that he had masqueraded as a child for years - maybe he just sympathized with the boy. That still didn't explain how Henry knew Pride. She couldn't help but feel a slight sense of dread as she watched the young child smile happily and tell them to wait as he collected his uncle. She hoped Pride wasn't planning something to harm Henry, he was entirely innocent.

"Who is it, Henry?" Ed called curiously.

"It's my friend I met at the park the other-"

Winry shot up, her chair falling to the floor with a bang as she raced to the door. She tackled the door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily. "Henry! What did I tell you about him?" She looked panicked, clutching the wall as if she was holding back a tsunami with one flimsy door.

Alphonse looked worried, "Winry, what's-"

The door started to open slowly as Pride pushed it open. "Now that's rude." He removed his foot from the door's path as he easily opened it, despite Winry's attempts at halting him.

"Pride!" Ed yelled in surprise, shooting to his feet and brandishing a screwdriver as a weapon as he clamored in front of Henry.

"At ease." Pride was leaning on the door, he seemed worn out from pushing Winry off the door. "I only wish to speak to Alphonse."

Al crossed the room slowly, his hands hovering at his sides like a soldier about to draw his gun. "Why do you need me?"

"You have an extensive knowledge of alkahestry, I have a-"

A screwdriver collided with the spot on his forehead with astonishing accuracy.

"You aren't eating my little brother, you bastard!" Ed hollered, readying himself to tackle Pride.

Pride groaned - his knees buckling as he tightened his grip on the door. A door isn't the best source of support though, and it swung open further and slammed into the wall. The homunculus hit the ground hard, not even trying to catch himself with his arms as he fell to the floor.

Elysia went to help him, but caught herself - this could be a trick after all. The pain he had been in earlier didn't seem to be an act, but he was a master of deception. Pride began to push himself up, his face blank as the spot on his forehead seemed to grow darker with the effort. Despite her misgivings, she extended her hand to help him. She was surprised when Pride actually accepted her offered and he pulled himself up to a sitting position. He didn't even have a scathing remark as he just breathed, his head lowered in shame.

Elysia dropped his hand, grumbling under her breath about ungrateful, arrogant bastards.

Ed looked at the situation closely. "I told you he was sick." He commented to Al.

"Brother," Al leaned forward, observing Pride carefully. "I don't think this is a human ailment."

"It's definitely not contagious if that's what you're wondering," Pride answered, a slight smirk appearing on his face. "I'm sure you've heard of thallium poisoning. It's known to cause severe pain - among other symptoms - and severe nervous system damage." He couldn't help his tone from taking an edge as he continued, "My superior biology makes it so that I only suffer from some of the side effects and it's keeping me alive longer - but I... miscalculated on the dosage that I ingested."

"Do you know who poisoned you?" Al asked, not sounding terribly surprised that Pride had been poisoned.

Pride shook his head, "We can deal with that later, that's not why I'm here."

"You're dying, but you aren't here to beg for our help?" Ed looked disappointed.

Pride only sniffed and directed his attention at Al, "My mother is in danger, she's being threatened but I can't- I..." Selim clenched his fists, his eyes squeezed shut in frustration. "I can't do anything to save her while I'm like this."

"Mrs. Bradley is being threatened?" Al sounded concerned, he always did have a soft spot for Mrs. Bradley - it took a strong woman to be in her position and continue on. "Who would do that?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Is it someone in the government?"

Pride shook his head.

"Is it someone with a grudge against you?"

Another shake.

Al looked hesitant, "Is it-"

"Do we really need to do this now?" Selim looked up in annoyance, "If you must know, it's the emissary from Xing - it seems to be his job to kill me."

Al frowned, "Ling approves of this?"

Pride hummed, "I don't think so, but I wouldn't put it past him. He knows more than anyone what I'm fully capable of." He leaned forward, his hand on his head. "It doesn't make sense if he's behind this. Jian may have been sent here to check in on me, but not to kill me."

"Ling would believe us about this, but it would take a week to get a letter to him." Al explained, glancing at Ed for support. His brother was silent though, watching the exchange with a thoughtful look on his face. "That still doesn't explain why Jian is trying so hard to kill you."

Pride's face darkened, "Cure me and I'll solve this."

Ed scoffed, "And why would we do that? Jian will stop his threats when you're dead."

"And Jian walks away like nothing ever occurred," Pride snarled. "He gets honored as a hero for playing the coward and poisoning me." Pride smashed his fist into the floor as he staggered to his feet, "That bastard used my mother as a way to get to me and I won't forgive that!" His shadow was darkening, bubbling like a pool of black tar.

Ed almost laughed as Pride went to leave, "You're dying, Pride! What are you going to do in your state?"

Pride ignored him and stumbled out of the hotel room, his shadow trailing behind him as he regained his stable footing.

"I've never seen him so angry," Al commented quietly.

Ed nodded, "I think he's found something to hold on to." He looked at Alphonse with a slightly worried gaze, "I'd hate to be responsible for making Mrs. Bradley cry."

Alphonse moved to the bed by the far wall and pulled out a suitcase from under it, opening it to reveal a collection of books. "Elysia, you're going to have to follow him - don't let him get himself killed." He looked back at her worriedly, "And don't let him kill anybody."

* * *

A light drizzle coated the streets in a haze as Pride walked down the sidewalk. While his exit had been dramatic, it was necessary to avoid having lashed out at the Elrics and completely ruining his chance of getting help from them. He had a more pressing issue though, one that he wouldn't be able to rest until he figured out. He had no idea where Hansel was.

He shoved all that to the back of his mind though as he stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. He waited a minute before whistling again, the call echoing in the empty streets. He felt a surge of relief as a caw sounded from above him.

"Kage!" He called with a slight grin, watching the bird as he landed on the top of a street post. "I need you to take me to Hansel."

The bird cawed again, bobbing his head before flapping off down the street. Pride chased off after him, ignoring the burning in his legs at the exertion. He couldn't tell if the pain was just his weakness or if it was a sign of something worse - nerve damage could shut down his ability to move his legs. He stumbled, falling onto the wet pavement with a groan. He refused to consider the other alternative, he wasn't dead yet - he still had a meager collection of souls in his stone. He placed both palms against the sidewalk, taking a few breaths as he slowly pushed himself up.

Kage was circling over him and cawing worriedly.

Pride used the shadows to help push himself to his feet, feeling the cool wash of his healing at work in the nerves controlling his legs. "Continue, Kage, I'm right behind you."

The bird squawked and flew off a short distance to hover over a car parked on the side of the road. The lazy sweep of its wipers and glow of the headlights made it obvious that it was occupied. It really was a stroke of luck that Hansel was out in this storm, waiting on the side of the road for something. It didn't even occur to Pride that Hansel may have been following him too, waiting for him to find the car. Pride's mind was too clouded though as he stalked over to the car. He knocked on the window, startling Hansel as he scrambled to put away the paper that he had been writing on.

The window rolled down a crack, "Selim, what can I do for you?"

"You can stop now." Pride growled, not bothering with Hansel's game. "Or I can kill you and end this charade" The shadows slowly began wedging themselves in the cracks running around the door. "One way or another, I will get the ending that I want."

Hansel laughed, "I'm afraid that I don't-"

The shadows tore into the metal of the car door and it fell away. "Don't play dumb with me, mister detective." The shadows had lent their voice to Pride's own, the whisper adding an edge to his words. "It won't work."

Hansel gaped at the hole in his car, "This was a rental!" He didn't even seem startled that Pride was attacking him, it was like he was expecting this and wasn't worried at all.

Pride resolved to change that as the shadows grabbed Hansel and dragged him out of the car. His shadows were just as strong as they always were, it seemed the poison didn't affect them - they responded to his intentions like a limb, as long as his mind was intact so were his shadows. "I know about you threatening her!" He hissed, "No one else seems to be worried about this, so I'm sure they won't miss you either."

He felt his shadows fall limp, he couldn't see, his head was burning. He didn't even notice his knees hit the pavement as he held his head, trying to still the world's sudden spin on its axis.

Hansel laughed at the sight, "You're going to have to try harder than that, Pride." The rain was starting to fall heavier now. "Did you really think that you could kill me? You couldn't resist the challenge, drinking the poison as if you wouldn't be affected." He leaned down, placing his face at the same level as Pride's. "That was enough poison to kill an elephant within days! I made sure not to take any chances with you."

Pride couldn't speak, his tongue felt swollen, but he was simmering with rage. He was being humiliated - and Hansel was fooling himself if he thought that this meant that he had won. He felt his hatred coiling in his chest, he only needed a few seconds with the shadows. They began stirring lethargically at his internal torment.

"What are you going to do now? You act like you care for that woman and yet you can't even protect her!" Hansel kicked Pride in the chest, sending him sprawling onto his back. "She's as bad as you are, harboring a monster and raising it like a human. Who would do such a thing?"

Pride sat upright, his face set into a firm glare as he sent out his own shadow at Hansel - the only one that he could focus on for long enough to manifest it. The human didn't even notice it until it was in his stomach, tearing through bone and organs to emerge on the other side, slick with blood.

"Don't-" Pride coughed, "Don't talk about my mother that way."

Hansel gasped, blood trickling out of his mouth as he gazed down at the pool of blood growing under him.

Pride's vision was darkening. "I'll kill you..." His voice was barely working. The rain was in a full out downpour now, he couldn't see anything. The job wasn't finished yet, Hansel wasn't dead - if only he could move his shadows, then he could end this. He wouldn't take Hansel's soul into his stone though, he wanted nothing more to do with the Xingese man. It was becoming impossible to fight for conscious though, and the world faded away.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Chapter 34**

* * *

After having searched unsuccessfully through the streets surrounding the hotel, Elysia had given up the search - she wasn't trained to track people, she had no chance if she didn't get help. So now,here she was in front of Roy's house, quickly getting annoyed with the guard stationed there.

"I need to get in! Uncle Roy knows who I am! Tell him it's about Selim Bradley!"

The guard crossed his arms, "No visitors past sunset."

"You can be stubborn all you want!" Elysia snapped, "I've been dealing with Selim Bradley all day - and he's stubbornness incarnate!"

"I can't-"

A ding sounded from the guard house and the guard leaned down to answer the phone. "Sergeant Rogers speaking." He nodded, "Yes, yes, of course." He scratched his chin, "She mentioned a Selim-"

The gate suddenly buzzed and Elysia was able to push it open. She darted up the path to the mansion, sticking her tongue out at the guard as she passed.

* * *

Roy was sitting in his favorite pair of dark blue silk pajamas on the couch when she entered. "You said there's something going on with Pride?"

Elysia nodded, "I think he's charged off to kill Hansel."

Roy narrowed his eyes, "Why would he do that?"

"He's in a weakened state and he's getting really annoyed with the situation."

Roy smashed his fist onto the table, "Dammit! His mother is under a bunch of empty threats, shouldn't he realize that Hansel cannot touch his mother under federal law?"

Elysia shrugged, lowering her eyes, "His mother is under threats, he does have a right to be worried."

"He's a monster, Elysia." Roy stated bluntly, "Let me ask you another question - what happens when his mother dies and he has no one to hold him back? What then?" Roy rubbed the bridge of his nose, "How many innocent people will die before we can stop him." He sighed, "Maybe it is better to let him die now."

"But Mrs. Bradley-"

Roy looked at her directly, "I'll gladly trade the life of a monster and one woman's tears for possibly hundreds of people's lives."

"So the fact that what Hansel is going to kill Selim doesn't affect you at all?" Elysia snapped.

Mustang sighed, "Pride is already as good as dead if it really is thallium salts. Maybe this will be better for Amestris in the long run."

"What does this have to do with Amestris? You and I have seen that he has no intention of harming anyone that doesn't harm his mother first!"

"I don't like what Hansel is doing anymore than you do, but even if Hansel is acting entirely on his own, I can't say that Pride's death would be a completely horrible event."

Elysia felt her argument crumbling like logs in a burning fire.

"This is beyond you, Elysia. You're a bright girl, but you just aren't ready to be making these decisions."

Elysia's face darkened, "I'm old enough to be held on the same level as an adult in court! I think that I can-"

"Enough! Elysia, go home. Don't worry about this." Mustang got up, opening the door for Elysia. "I will deal with Hansel - I'll drag him back to Xing myself if I have to - but stay out of this."

The girl stormed out, grumbling under her breath. Overhead, the sky rumbled and the landscape was briefly lit by a flash of lightning. Elysia ducked her head, wishing she had brought an umbrella as a torrential downpour of rain started. This search was was going to take a while.

* * *

Kage was cawing repeatedly in his ear.

"Leave me be," he shoved the bird away with a heavy arm. "I just want to sleep."

The bird lunged at his face, pecking him lightly and cawing.

"Kage!" Selim opened his eyes and groaned as a wave of dizziness rocked over him. He was lying on the side of the road in the rain, his body was in shock. If he was human, he probably would have died from hypothermia by now.

Kage cawed; flapping his wings as Selim slowly pushed himself up. He blinked his eyes rapidly, shapes were dancing across his vision, leaving shining trails in their wake.

Selim laughed, "Well, this is quite the turn of events. Isn't it, Kage?"

* * *

Elysia could have sworn that she heard a bird cawing just a few minutes ago. Most birds were huddled in their nests though, and she could only think of one bird that would be out in this weather. If she could find the bird, then she could find Pride.

Another caw sounded from nearby.

She raced off towards the source, praying that she could find Pride and get back to her house. Letting him die here would be too cruel - Mrs. Bradley would be devastated, and she would never find out the truth about her father.

A bird suddenly flew at her, spinning around her head as it flew away clumsily, wet feathers messing with its ability to fly. It landed a few feet ahead and cawed at what Elysia assumed was a bag of garbage. It was only when she got closer that she realized it was the person she was searching for.

"Hey! Get up, you idiot!" She shook his shoulder, and Pride shrugged her off.

"You don't think I haven't been trying?" He hissed, "Nerve damage is an effect of thallium poisoning - I can't move my legs."

Elysia stared at him in shock, "You're serious."

"Of course I'm serious! Now I'm about to do something incredibly dangerous so don't scream."

Elysia frowned in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Pride only waved a hand and a shadow curled under him, then swiped through his legs, cutting through his pants.

Elysia gasped, biting down on her tongue as Pride's legs fell away from his body and crumbled to ash. He didn't remain an amputee for long though as red sparks raced down the stumps of his legs, reforming them almost instantaneously.

He kicked his legs with a grin, "It actually worked!"

Elysia's mouth fell open, "You cut your own legs off without knowing what would happen?"

"I figured it might buy me some time to clear out the toxins if I just reset my legs. The damage could have been in my spine though, but it seems that it was centered in my legs."

"So why can't you do that with the rest of your body?"

Pride slowly got to his feet, lifting Kage onto his shoulder. "Did you know that your jaws are powerful enough to bite through your own finger?" He placed a finger in his mouth for emphasis, "However, it is impossible for you to bite down, it's a basic instinct not to bite off your finger."

"So you're saying that you actually can't do that to your whole body?"

"Not that I can't-"

"Just admit it, you can't do it."

Pride scowled, but remained silent as he followed her. "Are we going back to your house?"

Elysia nodded, "Your's isn't safe."

"Hansel won't be an issue for awhile," he said with a slight smirk. "Though, I imagine with a good surgeon and some healing alchemy - or alkahestry - he'll be back in a few days." Pride sighed dramatically, "But my clothes are soaked! What will I wear if I go back to your house?"

Elysia shrugged, "I think my mom has some of my dad's clothes in a chest somewhere."

"No." He couldn't wear the clothes of a man that he helped kill.

"Then you can stay in those clothes."

Pride shrugged, "My body is superior to a human's - a little cold won't kill me." He rubbed his face in frustration, "I can just head back to my house."

"What about worrying your mother with the state you're in?" Elysia pointed out.

"I'm sure she's seen worse."

"And how do you plan to get all the way to your house when you just had to cut your legs off to stand up?" She looked down at his legs - the new skin was already soaked with rainwater. "How long do you even have until your legs give out again?"

Pride fell silent at that, but he didn't push the issue further.

Elysia scoffed, "It kills you that you need to ask for help, doesn't it?" It was becoming hard to believe that this was the same person who was just lying on the street after probably having been unconscious.

Her apartment building was looming high on the right, the warm glow from the windows cutting through the cold darkness. She opened the door to the lobby with a sigh, "We're here."

Pride nodded, walking up the steps and releasing a sigh as he entered the interior of the building. "I hate rain."

Kage cawed, shaking his feathers out and preening his wing.

Selim stroked his feathers, "I owe you one, Kage."

Elysia crossed her arms as she shut the door, "Yeah, thank the bird!" She ignored Pride's struggle up the steps to her apartment, as she took the stairs two at a time. "Try not to pass out on your way up."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Chapter 35**

* * *

Pride was pouting, sitting on the edge of his seat as he fiddled pointlessly with the radio. There was an plate of food next to him, but most of the food on it was barely touched. Kage was perched on the edge, gnawing on a scrap of meat.

Elysia sighed, her mother was long asleep, having only been awake for an hour after they both arrived in a sorry state. They had both gotten dried off and - after a rather long nap - Pride had awoken in a foul mood.

The homunculus wasn't taking it out on her though like she expected. Instead, he was simply simmering in his rage as he plotted. He drummed his fingers in time to some pointless tune on the radio. A long sigh escaped him as he realized that he had no other options, "I need your help."

Elysia raised her hand to her mouth in shock, "No, really?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, "I would have never guessed."

Pride glared at her, "I can't do anything as long as I'm being weakened by this poison." He idly flipped the radio station, "We need to return to Alphonse to see if he can cure it with alkahestry - fashioning an elixir to cure it or something of that nature."

"I'm sure you're just ecstatic about asking your former enemy for help." Elysia commented, watching him carefully.

Pride sighed heavily, "You just said it - my  _former_  enemy. Alliances change and loyalties sway, even mine." A dark look crossed over his face, "I'll stay loyal to those who remain the same to me." His eyes were absolutely burning now, "I won't make the same mistake twice."

Elysia hummed, before nodding slowly. "Alright, I'll help you."

Pride's head shot up, "What?"

"You need help, I'll help you." Elysia responded, "Can't have you dying when you've really done nothing wrong - despite what my uncle thinks."

Pride opened his mouth to respond, but Elysia threw a pillow at his head.

"Something done to save someone else doesn't count."

Pride opened his mouth again, and then shut it. For once, he was struck with absolutely nothing to say. He just nodded, a genuine smile gracing his face.

"You really are an idiot." Elysia huffed.

Selim huffed, "I'm really getting tired of you calling me that."

"Then do something to prove me wrong."

Selim crossed his arms, "Let's just find Alphonse."

"It's almost four in the morning!" Elysia squeaked, "I haven't gotten any sleep yet!"

"Then I'll go to Alphonse, you stay here and sleep."

Elysia shook her head, getting up and heading to the kitchen. She returned holding a mug of lukewarm coffee that she had made earlier, "Now I'll be fine, let's go."

Selim shook his head, "You're going to get addicted to that soon."

"Too late."

* * *

Selim and Elysia entered the hotel with little resistance, though the receptionist did stop them when they reached the lobby.

"Can I help you two?"

Selim smiled charmingly, "My sister and I just arrived here with our mother and she sent us in ahead of her to meet up with our father. We already know what room he's staying in, is it okay if we go up to meet him?"

The receptionist looked unsure; there was probably some policy against letting in people without a room key at night. "Well, I can always call up to the room to announce that you have arrived."

Selim waved his hand, "No need, miss! Our father already knows that we're here, we called before we arrived."

The receptionist frowned, "I still should probably call-"

A shadow whipped the back of her head roughly, sending the woman slumping onto her desk.

Elysia gasped, "Did you just kill her?"

Selim crossed his arms, "You have no faith in me, she's just unconscious."

"That doesn't make it any better!" She stomped on Selim's foot viciously, "You idiot!"

Pride pulled his foot out from under hers as she lifted her rain boot off of his toes, "Let's go, she's only going to be out for a few minutes." He stumbled slightly as he walked away, his now injured foot causing him pain, but he recovered quickly as he stalked away. Elysia watched him curiously - it seemed like he was still in pain. A lot of pain to be exact, his hands were shaking as he shoved them into his pockets.

"Don't fall behind," he called over his shoulder, trying to hit the call button on the elevator. It only took him three tries to properly press the button.

With no one else using the elevator, it arrived immediately and they boarded it. Selim's health was deteriorating more rapidly now, his temporary fix seemed to have finally worn off. His hands were white-knuckled as he clutched the railing in the elevator and his legs were beginning to shake under him. Suddenly, his hands slipped and he crashed into the wall. Selim slid to the floor with a thud and he tried to push himself up - but his arms were like gelatin, flopping about uselessly. He cursed loudly - something that he rarely ever did, he always saw himself as above that.

He turned his head and looked at Elysia, "A little help here?"

Elysia grasped the hand that he feebly held out, noting how his fingers twitched, but he didn't return her grip, "Are you ever going to make it there?" She asked as she pulled him up, draping his arm around her shoulders and struggling under his weight to hold him up.

He chuckled grimly, "I'll manage. My arms are almost done for though, I'd refresh them but I need the souls for other uses."

Elysia shuddered at the thought, "You can regrow your arms too? What about your head?" The elevator announced that it reached their floor with a cheerful ding.

Selim raised his head and shook it, "It's the base for my body, I would have to re-grow a whole new body as opposed to just a head." The doors slid open and the two struggled out and down the hall, Selim bearing most of his weight on Elysia.

"Why?"

"This body would fall to ashes."

Elysia rolled her eyes, "Yes, I saw that with your legs. Why don't you just do that to cure the poisoning then?"

Selim ground his teeth, "Do you know how difficult it is to re-grow a body? And how taxing that is on my stone?" He shook his head, "Even if I did survive it, I would be too weak to do anything."

Elysia heaved a sigh of relief as she knocked on Ed and Al's door, "Do you think they'll help us?"

A shadow curled around Selim, "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"I don't think that'll help anything."

A few minutes passed with no response. Elysia adjusted her hold on Selim's arms and knocked again.

Another minute passed before the door opened slightly, the chain secured to the wall holding it open only about two inches as Edward peered out at them.

"Pride?" He sounded more confused than angry as he rubbed at his eyes with a yawn, "What are you doing back here? And why do you have to drag Elysia into all of your problems?"

"You make it sound like I intentionally seek out trouble." Pride noted.

"And you don't?"

Pride only closed his eyes and released a breath, "I need Alphonse's help."

"What?" Ed barked in surprise.

Pride glared at him, "You know what, just tell me, can you help me or not?"

Ed shuffled his feet before sighing, "Al, wake up!" He leaned out of the doorway to fully address his brother, "Can you cure this?"

"I think so, depends how long he's been poisoned." Al opened the door fully, observing Pride carefully. "You've deteriorated a lot in a short amount of time."

"Really? I couldn't tell."

Al nodded to Elysia, "Get him onto the far bed." He turned to Ed, "I'll need my supplies too."

The room was empty apart from the two brothers as she helped Pride to the bed, easing him down. The homunculus only winced in pain, not making a sound as he laid back, "This bed is pretty worn out, isn't it?"

Ed scowled and crossed his arms, "We picked this hotel in an attempt to keep you away, not based on luxury." Nevertheless, he retrieved a large bag from under the bed and placed it next to Al.

The younger blond waved his brother off, placing his hands on Pride's head. "You're weaker than you're letting on, aren't you?"

Pride huffed, looking away and trying to focus his mind on something besides the pain currently wracking through his body. "Just focus on fixing it."

Al nodded, closing his eyes. "This is going to be difficult, but I think I can do it."

* * *

Elysia wasn't sure what exactly happened for the past two hours, but Pride's devilish grin at the end of it as he sprung to his feet answered her questions on the outcome. She had spent the better part of her wait conversing with Ed when he wasn't helping Alphonse make another batch of medicine or talking to Winry on the phone - Henry and Winry were both on their way back to Resembool, Henry was starting his first day of school and it wouldn't bode well for him to miss that.

The homunculus swung his arms, clenching his fists and twisting his spine. "Perfect," he closed his eyes. "It's gone."

"You aren't better yet," Alphonse wiped the sweat off of his brow, holding a cup up to the light as he inspected it. "That is a lot of thallium and you're going to have to drink more of this if you don't want the poison to start working again." He wrote down a few measurements on a piece of paper, "The poison's effect has only been cancelled out by the medicine's reaction to it. It will take time for it to clear out of your system." Golden eyes surveyed him questioningly, "How can you miscalculate and ingest that much poison?"

Pride clenched his teeth, "It was a slip-up-" His shadow was expanding, but it withdrew immediately as he noticed its movements. He couldn't kill the Elrics after they helped him like this, now he was indebted to both of them. "It doesn't matter now, Mr. Jian better be enjoying his hospital visit because I have the oddest feeling that it is going to end soon."

"What?" Ed snapped, "There's no need for you to kill anyone." He clenched his fists, "We just helped you, can you not make me regret it for two seconds?" He grabbed Pride as the homunculus attempted to turn away, "I saved you that day because I saw something that your other siblings didn't have! Why can't you see that and change? Do you really have to kill - can't you find some other way?"

Selim almost looked ashamed of himself as he pulled himself out of Ed's grip, "How can I learn something so foreign to me?" He mumbled, "Thank you, Alphonse."

Al nodded, looking surprised at the gratitude, "Just think about what Ed told you, Selim."

Selim gave a curt nod, looking uncomfortable, "Give my regards to Henry," he smirked, "I'll have to go visit him in Resembool sometime."

Ed blanched, "You can't just visit my-"

Selim ushered Elysia out the door and waved cheekily, shutting the door before Ed could finish.

"You don't have to terrorize them like that," Elysia told him.

Selim shrugged, "I find it amusing."

Elysia yawned, "So where to next?"

Pride's eyes glittered, his shadows pressing the button on the elevator, "I'm going to pay a certain detective a visit."

"Right now?" Elysia squeaked as they boarded the elevator once again.

"No," Pride responded, shaking his head and holding the button to close the doors, "Tomorrow he's visiting Mother for lunch, and I want you to intercept him before he can arrive at my house."

Elysia frowned in confusion, "What?"

"Listen carefully," he leaned against the wall with broad grin. "I've been playing with this plan ever since Hansel caught me at a disadvantage."


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Chapter 36**

* * *

The sound of a steady beeping filled the room, breaking the silence apart from the occasional scratch of a pencil on paper. Hansel wiped a few tears out of his eye as he continued to write. He wasn't crying - far from that - but his eyes keep tearing up due to a combination of pain from his stomach and maybe a few actual tears from the letter he had just received. To say the least, the Emperor was... displeased with him. Fuhrer Mustang had contacted him and alerted the Emperor to everything Hansel was up to. The letter must have only been mailed a short while ago and then sent over on the train. Hansel's green eyes tracked over the words he had written, mainly just groveling for forgiveness at the moment. He would get to why he intended to commit murder in a moment. It truly was an admirable reason. He just had to figure one out first that wasn't gold and glory.

A knocking at the door interrupted him from his thoughts. Hansel slid the letters under the covers of his bed and attempted in vain to push the bed tray that he had been using as a makeshift desk away. "Come in, I thought the bandages weren't due to be changed yet?" He really hated the changing of his bandages, everything from the removal of the fabric from his raw skin to the gory sight of the wound itself set him on edge despite the nurse's best attempts to be gentle.

"I wouldn't know about that," Elysia said as she walked in, checking behind her as she shut the door and grinned, looking like a wolf staring down a sheep. "But I do know how you can kill Pride."

"What?" He sat up far too quickly and his voice was a hoarse gasp as he spoke, "How do you know about that?"

Elysia's face was too open, her look of horror was evident as she took in the state that Hansel was in. Surely Pride wouldn't carry his game much further, this man was almost on his death bed. Her voice shook slightly, like an actor forgetting his lines on stage, "I'm the one who's been around him for the past fourteen years, I know when he's acting weird." She scratched her chin and coughed lightly, trying to cover-up her discomfort. "He even trusts me still, I can make sure that you kill him this time."

"The poison won't finish him off?"

Elysia scoffed openly at that, "You should have known that would only weaken him. You cut a metaphorical hole in his gas tank, now that he's running on empty; you need to finish him off."

Hansel narrowed his eyes, "And how do you suppose that I do that?" He gestured to the hospital room he was stuck in, "In case you can't tell, I'm bedridden. I won't be finishing off anyone or anything for awhile."

The girl's grin seemed false as she explained, "And there lies the beauty of this plan. His name isn't Pride for nothing - it's his hubris. All we have to do is lure him out, use those super flashlights of yours to burn him out - then behead him."

"A beheading? And how do you intend we do that?"

"His body falls to ash when it dies; there'll be no evidence, no body, and no mess."

"That's not my point," the man groaned, "I can't lift anything over ten pounds. There's no way I'm hacking through bone and tendon to sever a head."

"He... has a weak spot," she could still see Selim pinned to the wall, mouth open in a silent scream as he was paralyzed by a crossbow bolt in his head. "It's on his forehead, one shot in that could kill him."

Hansel hummed thoughtfully, crossing his arms, "Even if this is plausible, there's still one issue. How do I know that you're not lying to me? How can I be sure that this isn't a trap?"

Elysia released a sigh, "Good. This will only work if you are smart enough to pull it off." She grinned, "And it seems like you are, asking important questions like that."

Hansel glowed slightly, but then simmered down. "You avoided the question."

Elysia walked over to the window, barely even visible in the dim room, and pulled open the curtains to reveal a dismal view of a dirt-filled park. "See the big magpie in that tree?"

Hansel squinted at the tree, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Yes, what about it? Aren't magpies common in Central?"

Elysia shook her head, "Not in the inner city, just on the outskirts here."

"But I've seen them everywhere..."

"It's the same bird," she knocked on the glass, but the bird only turned its head and fixed one beady eye on them. "He's Pride's pet. The bird has been serving as his eyes since he is unable to use his shadows the way he used to."

"He's been tracking me?" Hansel growled, clenching the thin covers on his bed. "So that's how he found me."

"Another thing that could prove my trustworthiness, he has a stash of information under the floorboards in his room, but it has nothing of importance to you." Elysia added.

"But I checked the whole room before he found me! There were no loose boards!" Hansel's face darkened, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. "You're lying to me!"

Elysia jumped back as the man snagged the first thing he could reach - a small pen - and chucked it at her. "Think about it! Why would he use a loose board when his shadows can pry up any board?"

Hansel passed in his attacks, "Wait, what?"

"He's using the normal boards and prying them up carefully with the shadows. You would never know that anything is stored there."

The Xingese man narrowed his eyes, "So you said I need to burn him with the flashlight, and then shoot him?"

"I can tell him where you are and he'll come. Just tell me when to send him."

"Use his own pride against him?" Hansel chuckled, "This might just work." He didn't have anything to lose anyways.

Elysia tried to ignore the churning sensation in her gut as she walked out of the room, passing nurses and a doctor on her way to the exit. She felt like a black sheep in a flock of white-coated sheep, here she had just condemned a man to death while people worked constantly to prevent that from happening. She didn't know if she could do this.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Chapter 37**

* * *

Elysia slipped into the room, glancing back down the hall behind her before closing the door to block out the light hallway. Hansel glanced up from the newspaper that he was reading, his hand twitching restlessly on his bedside table, "Do you have it?" She pulled out an antique pistol from her pocket and handed it to Hansel. He made a disappointed grumble as he inspected it, "Will this even fire?"

The girl only shrugged in response, "It was difficult to get a hold of that and getting the bullets for it was a nightmare." As Hansel turned the gun in his hand, the bullets gleamed dully from their chambers in the cylinder of the gun. "You've only got three shots, so you'll have to make them count." She paused for a second, her eyes flitting upwards as she thought. "His arrogance makes him predictable," she started slowly, "he thinks too lowly of humans to consider us a threat."

Hansel glanced down at the gun again, "Are you sure this will even fire?"

Elysia spotted Kage as he flew in front of the window, "Not entirely, but it's our only shot."

Hansel sighed and tucked the gun under the blankets by his side, "I don't like this. When is he going to arrive here?"

"I just saw his bird, it'll be soon."

Hansel's eyes narrowed, "How does that even work? How can a bird work as his eyes and alert him to dangers?"

"The same way any other bird alerts the flock the danger," she responded, moving away from the door nervously and taking a seat in the wheelchair by Hansel's bedside.

He watched her retreat with a slight frown, "Is everything okay?" he asked worriedly. The girl had been brave so far, but this couldn't be easy for her.

Elysia sighed, "I'm just worried that this won't work out."

The suspicious look on Hansel's face softened and he gave her a slight grin - she was helping him achieve his goal after all, he could afford to be nice to her. "I won't let him kill you, you've been a great help to me."

Her face looked stricken in horror at what he said, and she opened her mouth to respond - but Hansel's sudden cry of shock cut her off. Elysia turned to look at the door and felt a stab of dread in her heart at what was to come.

"Hello, Hansel." A dark shadow filled the doorway, expanding through the room like a flood of water. "I believe this is checkmate." A chill spread across Hansel's neck as a dark mouth full of glittering teeth grinned at him.

* * *

Hansel gasped, the shadow was wrapped around his neck and tightening its grip.

"I'm sorry," Pride said with an apologetic frown. "Did that hurt?" The shadow relented slightly, just before increasing its strength. "Now imagine the pain that I went through because of you!"

Elysia could see this wasn't going to end well, Pride was on the verge of yelling and if he killed Hansel here then he could be tried as a murderer. "Hansel! The flashlight!"

The man fumbled with his pockets, gasping feebly for air. Pride tightened the shadows around Hansel's neck, but he was too slow and the light flickered on. His screams echoed down the hall as the shadows around him were burnt away. Normally, the light wouldn't have been that powerful even in the darkened room, but he was still weaker than he had anticipated. He really did need to stop overestimating his abilities.

Elysia grabbed the wheelchair and spun it to face the bed, "Come on! That'll do for now!"

Hansel grabbed the gun and Elysia took off in a mad dash, fleeing from the enraged homunculus and pushing the wheelchair as fast as she could. Hansel could walk with some help, but running wasn't on the list of things he could do anymore.

"Why did you stop me?" Hansel gasped, "He was going down!"

"Yeah, and there were more than enough witnesses there to see a boy get shot."

Hansel ground his teeth, "Yet he can use his shadows and nobody will notice." He held onto the chair firmly as Elysia steered him into a nearby alley. "This should be good enough."

"Can we really escape from him?"

Elysia shrugged, "Probably not."

Hansel's face paled, "Why do you say that?"

"Because he can smell us," she ground her teeth as she looked at him, trying to convince herself of her next words. "And because you deserve whatever is coming your way for what you did to Mrs. Bradley."

Hansel dropped the flashlight, "What?"

Elysia's voice was shaking with either anger - or maybe it was fear, "You tried to turn his mother on him with threats? Did you really expect me to sympathize with you?" She could though - what he had done was wrong, no question about that - but no one deserved what was going to happen to Hansel if Pride got his way.

Hansel's jaw quivered, "But he's a monster! He killed so many people..."

"And he was changing," she said with confidence. "You may have destroyed that though."

It didn't take Pride long to track them down and he immediately directed a shadow to wrap itself around Hansel's ankle, but the man dodged as he lunged forward and out of his wheelchair. "You bitch!" He snarled, wrapping his hands around Elysia's neck. "He'll kill me! And he'll kill you too when he done using you!"

Elysia scratched at Hansel's hands, but the man refused to let go. She released a strangled gasp, aware of someone else saying her name, and smashed her head into Hansel's. The hands released her immediately as Hansel reeled backwards, clutching at his nose.

Elysia felt another pair of hands shaking her, but Hansel had done a good job on her neck. "Elysia! Elysia, you have to stay awake." She felt her head loll forwards but the hands shaking her kept her awake. Her vision was slowly clearing now that she could breathe again.

"Did you really think that strangling a girl would save you?" Selim snarled, gently putting Elysia down to let her slowly come to her senses. He stalked forward, his fingers mimicking the twitchy movements of his shadows. "Did you actually believe that if you killed her, I would spare you?" His eyes narrowed, "Or how about this one, did you really think that my mother was the wisest way to get to me?"

Hansel's mouth only opened and closed repeatedly, nervous whimpers escaping him every now and then.

"Can't even speak?" A shadow brushed past Hansel's face, "That's a shame. I was looking forward to your excuses."

He took a few steps forward, allowing the shadows to more easily reach Hansel. A huge smirk spread across his face, "And to think, you orchestrated this all on your own." He laughed, "I'm going soft for letting you get this far." He shrugged, "All's well that ends well, I suppose."

Pride could hear Elysia's breathing hitch behind him. He felt a stab of guilt; she had to watch him kill Hansel knowing that she had led him here. He was going soft, he was rethinking his revenge plans just for the sake of someone's feelings.

He walked forward, closing the distance between himself and Hansel. "You disgust me," he spat. "I shouldn't even waste my time dealing with a pest like you."

Elysia closed her eyes right before Hansel screamed, and then fell silent.

She didn't want to look, but there was a part of her that was dying to know what she had helped accomplish. Her curiosity won out in the end, and she cautiously opened her eyes. She couldn't believe it though as the sight of Pride gently nursing his bruised knuckles left her gaping.

"I didn't realize how painful that would be." He mused, walking over to her.

Hansel was lying on his back, but she thought that she could see his chest moving.

"Is he-"

"Alive," he answered swiftly. "Death is too good for that idiot."

She glanced at his fist, noting the split knuckles. "Why aren't you healing that?"

Pride flexed his hand, "That's part of my act."

Elysia frowned, jumping in surprise as he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the alley. He glanced around before rushing to a nearby pay phone, dialing a number and speaking hurriedly into it. He returned to Elysia moments later and smirked slightly before morphing his features to a shocked expression as he began to pace the sidewalk. The sound of a police siren drifted closer, and Selim allowed himself one more small smirk. Elysia only looked even more confused as this continued, but Pride only told her to play along and agree with him. She nodded in response as a police car pulled up.

"Are you Steven Brown?" A policewoman asked as she stepped out of the car.

Pride nodded quickly, "You've got to do something, officer! He just- he just came out of nowhere!" He was putting her mediocre acting job with Hansel to shame; his hands were even shaking as if he was truly terrified. "I didn't even realize that I hit him until he was on the ground..." He ran a hand through his hair, careful to not ruffle his bangs enough to reveal the node on his forehead. "But he attacked my friend! I couldn't let him hurt her!"

The policewoman smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry; this sounds pretty straightforward to me." She looked at Elysia, noting the purple marks beginning to form on her neck, "The man tried to strangle you?"

Pride looked slightly to her, and Elysia nodded firmly in response.

The policewoman 's face darkened, "I'm assuming he's back there, still unconscious?"

Pride nodded, a wicked glint appearing in his eyes but it quickly vanished. "I hit him pretty hard..."

The officer shook her head, "Don't worry about it, I'm sure that he'll get worse in prison."

Pride looked on with a huge grin as the policewoman dragged Hansel into her car with minimal effort - not bothering to coddle his injury - and bundled him in.

"You two don't have to worry about this lowlife anymore." She told them as she started the car, "Do you want me to call in an ambulance to get you some medical care for those bruises?" She told Elysia, "They look nasty."

Selim shook his head, "We'll go there right now, miss. It's only a few blocks away."

The policewoman nodded and climbed into her car. The second the police car was out of sight, Selim broken down laughing. "Can you imagine his expression when he wakes up in jail?"

Elysia chuckled slightly, though she felt like laughing hysterically in sheer relief. "Why didn't you kill him?"

"What?"

"You were so dead-set on killing him, why didn't you?"

Selim scuffed his shoe on the concrete, "By extension, you would have been my accomplice in that murder. I don't want to involve you in this anymore than I have to."

Elysia scoffed, "Liar, but whatever lets you sleep at night."

He growled, "That's rude! I do something humane and I get criticized!" A few red sparks danced over his knuckles as he repaired them, "Let's get back to my house and we can put some ice on those bruises before it gets any worse."

"I don't think that'll help much now."

Pride ignored her and whistled, calling Kage to his shoulder from wherever the elusive bird had been hiding. "I need to finish this," he whispered thoughtfully, running his fingers along the bird's feathers. "Prison just doesn't cut it for some."

Kage released a series of chortling caws, bobbing his head up and down in apparent agreement.

* * *

Pride wasted no time in returning to his house, leaving Elysia on the doorstep as he hurried off to see his mother.

Mrs. Bradley looked up and smiled sadly, "Hello, dear. How have you been?"

"He's gone." Selim told her immediately, grabbing her in a hug and barely resisting the urge to jump in joy - sometimes human emotions were so overwhelming. "That detective has returned to Xing, he won't be bothering you anymore." He won't be bothering anyone anymore; Pride had made sure of that.

Mrs. Bradley released a sob, holding Selim tightly, "I couldn't do anything about it. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." She weakly laughed, "And all you keep trying to do is live a regular life and I end up getting you in trouble."

"Why are you apologizing?" Selim buried his face in her shoulder, a searing rage entering him at the thought of Hansel trying to take his family away from him.

Elysia looked away, she felt like she was intruding. Pride would keep his word about helping her find her father's murderer, but that could wait. She walked off down the steps with her hands in her pockets, maybe she should go tell Uncle Roy what happened.

* * *

"You saved him then?" Roy mused, leaning forward on his desk.

Elysia sighed, looking away from Roy's piercing gaze. "It seemed like a waste to let him die after all that's happened."

The fuhrer nodded slowly, his eyes glancing over a picture frame on the desk. "I understand completely." A smiling family was frozen in the picture on a sunny day - not many people could boast having a complete family even this long after the Promised Day. But sometimes even a monster -  _former_  monster now - deserves a happy ending.

**Author's Note:**

> Just for a heads up, any text in () is thoughts, I tried to make it blatantly obvious whose thoughts they are, but if it seems uncertain whose thoughts the comment could be, don't freak out. There's no major plot developments in the thoughts, so you won't loose anything. And one more thing before I go, this story's POV changes regularly from the view of an all-knowing narrator, it's not all told in Mrs. Bradley's POV, this is the only chapter like that.
> 
> 2/1/18: All of the old author's notes from this story won't be included. I haven't edited anything since when it was first published, I'm just reposting it for fun and to see how it'll do when its over four years old. My writing style has changed distinctly for the better since when this was first published.


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